


Your Father Is A Hero

by The_Wizard_of_Words



Category: Samurai Jack (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Father Jack, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, OC names, Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Raising Daughter's of Aku, samurai dad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-06 08:19:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 158,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19058833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Wizard_of_Words/pseuds/The_Wizard_of_Words
Summary: Forty years have passed, but the future has not changed. Jack no longer looks for the past, he no longer looks for hope in the future. He only travels, a poor means to escape his demons.But through a mountain pass, in a desolate land, he finds what he believed to be impossible. Beyond the horrors of a cult with no purpose, a desperate cry for a demonic god, he sees wat should be impossible in a future with no hope.Children, filled with it. Hope for a new life, a new tomorrow, and a new purpose for their twisted origins.A man who had lost hope now found reason to nurture it. And he would do such, if only to survive a future lost of it.





	1. Jack and the Cult of Aku

**Author's Note:**

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Forty years had passed.

Forty years since all was lost. Forty years without a trace of age upon him.

An unreturnable past. An unforgiving future. An unremorseful present. And no way to reverse the evil that had been wrought.

No way to return to the past.

No blade to strike down the evil.

No hope to set things right.

Nothing. Forty years of nothing.

It was the same nothing that had him riding through the barren mountains, too low for snow to collect and too high to allow the comfort of travel. Neither mattered to him.

The motor roared as he continued on the path through the mountains, beaten and drenched from years of wear and travel. The wheels of his vehicle found little resistance in moving forward. He found little reason to pay attention.

The peaks of mountains slowly crawled past him, a testament to their size, despite their height. The shadows of the younger mountain tops were cast again their taller brethren, signaling the coming end to the day.

It was still hours off, still too far away for him to care. He only breathed a slow sigh in the chilled mountain air, continuing forward. The only thing he could do.

Clouds crawled above him, closer than they ever would be from a valley's pit, but further than he may ever reach. The sun was too far gone in the sky to allow them to bloat the mountains with their shade.

He could not look away from the path, or else crash. He could listen to anything else, or not hear an ambush. He could not think of anything. There was nothing to think of.

Nothing, as much as there was nothing that could be done. Nothing to save anyone.

_Help us._

His hands gripped the brakes of his vehicle, harshly.

The wheels skidded across the stone road, tearing up pebbles only to throw them into the valley below. Quickly, the bike came to a stop. Hastily, he jumped from the seat.

His boots hit the hard rock of the mountain road, armor clanking as he did so. The tall helmet on his head swayed, but it remained taught atop his head.

The wind blew across the mountains, breaking against him like waves on a rock. He did not move, he did not speak. He only focused forward.

Like the metal he wore, he remained stiff and planted upon the mountain road, staring at the vast mountain range and its shallow valley. Dust crawled through the air, like the clouds high above, swept by the whistling winds.

But there was nothing more. Nothing to reveal his tainted soul.

_Where are you?_

He turned, twisting to follow the voice.

His breath became harsh, his fists clenched. There was nothing. He saw nothing. Just mountains that were too short to break the clouds, valleys too shallow to cause fright from falling. He was alone, as he had always been.

He shut his eyes, thinking of the same nothing he had until now. The same nothing he was left with. There was no one, because there was nothing.

_We need you!_

He opened his eyes and looked at the mountains. He saw the shadows of the young peaks cast over the taller heads, a silhouette made by the sun.

And each one holding a head of his clan.

"No," he spoke simply, staring with wide eyes at the impossible sight.

The father who had taught of him honor and the sword. His mother who had taught him of love and compassion. His sensei who had taught him the martial arts. His master who had taught him the bow. His onderwyser who had taught him the staff.

Masters lost to the past. Leaders he had abandoned. Failures he failed to face.

Sins of his neglect.

They were all heads caught by the shadows of the mountain, staring at him from tall peaks, leering at him with angry eyes. Eyes of betrayal, of pain, of hate.

Eyes focused on him.

_You aren't here._

_We need you._

_Come back_!

_Why didn't you come!_

_We are suffering in your neglect!_

_Save us!_

"I have not abandoned you!" He yelled to the mountains, throwing his arms as he yelled to the heads of his family. "Aku has taken everything! I am searching for a way back!"

_You are running!_

_Coward!_

_You only seek solitude!_

"No! I do not!" His feet shuffled on the stone, boots sliding over gravel.

The heads were looming, demanding, soul-gazing. They saw his betrayal, his failure, his inadequacies, his neglect, his indifference. Every mountain peak now gazed at him. Everyone stared down at him. Demanding from him.

There was no escape from the mountains that surrounded him, from the shadows casted upon them, upon _him_. Their words were cutting, their demands true. And their conclusion absolute.

He twisted again, turning to face the path he had rode from, the sure exit from the madness of the mountains, from the demand of the peak top shadows. He could return from whence he came, leave the cursed mountains behind.

But he saw not a clear path. He saw not a shadow.

He saw an Omen in wait.

An Omen draped in smoke of green and with eyes demanding retribution.

"NO!" He shouted only thus before jumping once more onto his bike.

The engine roared to life before he was secured in its seat. The wheels skidded and beat against the dirt before his feet reached the pedals. Dust from the mountain road was thrown to the air as he roared down the path, running from shadows that crawled from the mountains at his side, at his back, all around him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" He yelled into the wind.

He screamed to silence the cruel words of truth, to beat away the harsh reminders of his failure.

He was no samurai. He was no savior.

He was no hero.

He could only run from the truth that lurked behind him, from an Omen that followed the stench of his apathy and betrayal. Running, it was all he could do.

And he ran on a bike that roared like a beast of legend. He ran into the wind and through the shallow mountain range.

But it was never far enough.

Only as the sun began to push itself over the edges of the horizon, as the stars began to peak across the sky, only then did the shadows leave him alone. Alone with nothing but his screams.

And the road continued on through the shallow mountains, rising to the highest peak of the range. His vehicle climbed dutifully, even as he offered it no rest. It scaled the increasingly uneven rock of the mountain road, swaying only when he failed to offer it direction.

And nearest the peak of the mountain, the tallest of the shallow range, did he stop the bike once more. Again, he dismounted. Again, he set his feet on solid stone. But now, no voices called out to him.

Only the stars in the sky stared at him, no shadows around to chase his soul, no eyes to stare into his failures.

He slowly unclenched his hands, realizing only now the force he gripped them min. Slow breaths worked through way through his lungs, easing the fear and trepidation that had gripped him. He was stifled only by his armor, a prison of his choosing.

His armor was dusty from the hasty retreat, stained the color of the mountain dust, no longer the dull gray of its usual sheen.

Now he had blotches of brown upon his otherwise kept steel, blotted about his armor as mistakes were upon his past. A past he could not correct, could not chase, and could not return to.

More of the nothing he would never gain again.

Never again.

"…again…"

Jack opened his eyes. His fists clenched and chest seized. Immediately, his eyes searched the range of mountains, looking for the monuments to his sins. But he saw nothing.

He saw the shallow peaks compared to the mountain his stood on. He saw a forest of red leaves coated and forgotten under a night's sky. He saw a bridge of natural make. He saw stars of uncountable number.

"… unacceptable… perfect…"

But he still heard the voice.

A voice filled with demand, with anger, with reminders of failure. The same voice that would mark the mars upon his soul, that would shine light upon the cowardice that were his actions.

But no faces rose to join the voice. No reminders of his past far from forgotten. It was a voice, and only a voice.

"… lesson… one not to be…"

But the voice spoke on. One of a harsh tutor amid their craft. The mountains hid the voice, but the winds carried the words.

His tempered his breathing, controlling his breath to match the wisps off the wind. Breath in when the air swept close. Let out when he rushed by.

"… You would do well to heed Aku's Blessings."

His concentration broke.

Eyes opened with the swiftness of the wind he listened to, muscles stiffening to match the armor he wore, fists clenched to match the strength the mountain he stood on.

He knew not the speaker, he knew not the reason, but he knew the name. The name of the great evil that had wrought his darkness, the shogun of sorrow that had offered no mercy.

The being that chocked the past, present, and future.

His blessings were being offered.

_His_ failures were being shared.

"They are bountiful… plentiful… endless…"

Time could not be wasted.

He moved to his bike, undoing the latches that hid his tools. His bow staff, compressed and belittled, was place on his belt. The pistol, crude and powerful, was set in its holster. Grenades, loud and merciless, were thrown over his shoulder.

It was all he had. The little in the nothingness that was his life.

He was ready.

* * *

The mountains are steep and unforgiving, nature's way to claim the lives of fools who dared to march on its monuments. A miss-step meant a fall that none could survive. A loose rock could mean an avalanche that would mountains in rubble.

The fleeing light did nothing to aid him. The same nothing that remained in all.

Dark rocks hid themselves in shadows, damp spots on the mountain hidden as dry footholds. No foliage grew to hinder his path, but neither did any grow to make his descent safer. Only rock and stone followed him down. Only that, and nothing more.

He traversed the unsteady terrain, off the beaten path of the mountain's well-worn road. He would not find the worshippers of Aku at the mountain's peak. They would be dwelling at base of the peaks.

Or buried within caverns of their own creation.

"Faster. Faster Ahi, or else the coals will burn."

His boots slid across the stone of the mountain's uneven surface, dust and gravel pushed aside. Only training kept his footing sure. Only experience he now loathed to possess.

The mountains loomed over him the further he crawled down. Subtle peaks before now lorded over him, demanding tribute to their height as he slunk into the shadows. He offered none, least now of all.

The coarse material of his gloves gripped only sure rocks, free of dust and loose stone. He released his hold only when his footing was equally as certain, making his descent into darkness the same as before.

Quick and efficient.

"Weak Ami, Aku laughs at your ignorance."

The light of the stars quickly fell to nothing the further he crawled down the mountain. They turned the light brown of the mountains peaks to a stained dark, to a shadow's wisp.

It was a change he was familiar with. He was familiar with. It was one he had experienced more than any other before him.

No monster or creature of Aku's domain dared to exist in the light, not for long. They made use of dark fire, they worshipped unholy light. Only the darkness was their savior, and so they would do all they could to hide from the light.

He knew this, because he was familiar with it.

It was a testament to his mournful soul.

"Beware negligence, Avi. Your foes will not offer peace for your mistakes."

And these dark beings continued to chant his evils.

The voice was as sure as the rocks he climbed, no longer broken on the whispers of the wind. It was audible and it was close.

His body swung from a high rock, twisting in midair to land surely on a small plateau of stone. He rose quickly from the position, eyes shut and head tilted.

The wind was light in bowels of the mountain, but it was not gone. And though the voice was clearer, it was fainter. The difference between a far way mountain and a nearby river.

But nothing was free from the world of nature, not evil nor good. Both existed in the same plane, though the lord which to the other was obvious. He only needed to listen, and he would hear.

"Aphi, you are losing focus. Do you wish to lose your life with it?"

There.

His head turned towards the voice, towards a dark innocuous wall of the mountain. It was the direction of the voice, but not the source.

His boots clicked against the stone of the mountain base as he walked towards it, eyes useless in the narrow light. Instead, he placed his gloves upon the wall, feeling along the coarse edges.

Dust fell as his hand slid over the material, moving away years of nature's work in his search. The path of his palms was slow across the surface, patient, searching for what could be hiding in the dark corners of the mountain range.

"Your stance is wrong Aki. Correct it or surrender."

Evil lurked in the darkness. It was its cloak, its dagger, its vehicle, its tool. He knew well the malleability of such a thing. He knew it was well as he feared it.

_Click_

His hand stopped. His eyes vainly opened.

His left palm was pressed on a switch, an indent that was far from natural in the otherwise unmarred stone. It was made by the creation of something ill natural, something the stone would not create alone.

It was his way in. It was his method of entry. Dark eyes narrowed in the looming shadows of the mountain's mass.

"Dodge! Foolish Adi! Do you want to disgrace your lord!"

His right hand reached for the pistol in its holster, the crude tool with effective means. He could fire it in the dark, he could hit the foul creatures. They would be no more.

He had to be quick though. Monsters of the dark knew how to hide in it well. When the door opened, they would run or attack, both before he could see them.

He would have to listen. He would have to react. Or else they would be the one to claim him.

"A mistake is failure. Be perfect Ashi."

_Clack_

With a press of the button, the wall to the mountain slid open.

It was fast, efficient, the same as all the machines he had fought before, the same as all the machines he had destroyed before. The same that he was used to fighting.

He stepped inside slowly, each foot fall sure and measured. His ears were his eyes, his eyes were his guide. He listened where he could not see, and watched for what could not be heard.

The interior was the darkness he knew it to be, incomplete but no less corrupting.

Harsh red light glowed upon the edges of the walls, flickering like waves. It showed the jagged edges of the mountain's inner walls, like the gnashing teeth of creatures on deep. What the red light did not touch was kept in darkness.

It was a light born from cooled embers and flickering flames, grasping at the last few twigs that were held in their piles. Like fish gasping for breath, the red light rose and fell from the embers, not flames.

He entered the darkness, keeping his body still the few times the red light swam over his body. It silhouetted his armor. It hid his features, covered his being. But it far from concealed him.

He was no mountain. And he was not still as stone.

"Stop."

The command was simple, and meant not for him. He continued to move through the shadows, holding as the light danced over him.

The walls twisted ahead, as the difference in light showed. He still had seen no creatures of darkness nor machines of ill intent. Only jagged walls, chocked embers, and his own shadow watching his trek.

He made sure not to make a sound as he approached the walls edge, to where the light was brighter, clearer, and more malevolent.

"You have improved, marginally. Not nearly enough to be prepared."

Jack slowly turned his head, peeking into the area beyond.

He saw a cavern far more open that the tunnel he had approached from. Walls stretched high as the mountain surface he climbed, pits ran deep as the valley he had yet to explore. Their depths and height toward about it.

Every surface was jagged and cut, a sign of nature's quick dismissal of the place, not even caring to leave water behind. It was forged by fire, earth, and wind, left now only to the creatures of dark to live within.

Pillars were mounted about the chasm, each higher and more malicious than the last. No footholds to climb, only spikes to impale. The chasms in the cavern had less mercy to offer, spikes beneath appearing to beg for unfortunate souls.

And all was doused in the light of red. Dark flames that stood on thin pillars about the room. Each swayed with the life the embers before could not muster, all revealing the dark shapes that stood about the room.

They were figures he loathed to look at.

Colored of darkness, formed of malice, they stood with robes of shadow about their figures, dull horns of evil praise about their heads. In a half-circle they stood, watching something he could not see, staring at something he cared not for.

His eyes narrowed as he watched them, memorizing their appearance. It was a shape easy to burn into his memory.

For on the far wall, lurking over all else, was the statue he loathed the most.

Aku, the Shogun of Sorrow.

"Aku's strength is given only to the strong, to those who are perfect."

He focused on the voice, watching one of the dark creatures rise as it spoke.

It had the same horns as the others, the same dark dress that fell into the shadows, and the same blank face. The same face of nothingness. A staff was carried in her hand, thin and long like the figure that held it.

It was a Priestess by design. A worshiper of the worst of kind, for the worst kind.

"Do you wish to neglect your master?"

It spoke towards the ground, in the circle the other figures huddled before, beneath the gaze of the demon's statue. They were not looking towards him. No eyes were on him in the shadows.

He moved quickly from the wall, moving with quick yet practiced steps towards the pillar closest to him, the column of stone and thorns. He reached it quickly, armor not making a sound.

"Do you desire to witness the consequence of carelessness?"

The flames flickered again. He ran in their inattention. The stone did not betray him. He reached the next pillar without a sound, closer to the robed figures of darkness, to the creatures of shadow.

And the closer he drew to them, the larger Aku's gaze became.

He had to focus. His gun was quickly holstered, back on his waist, secure in movement.

As he had descended the mountain, he swiftly began to climb. The pillar of stone was between him and the dark monsters, the shadows draped over the side he had chosen.

The horns of the column were long and sharp, but his experience was honed and steep. His rough gloves grasped the dry thorns and pulled him up, boots pushing against the stone as he passed. No sound came from him.

Sound only came from the cracking flames and the creature's voice.

"If you wish to honor your master, to prove your worth, then you must dedicate yourself."

His hand tightly grasped the top of the column, smooth stone that was opposite the jagged rocks had climbed up. He did not pull his body up. He pushed with his feet. He prevented the metal of his armor from revealing him.

And atop the pillar, he could see the creatures below. They had not seen him.

Masks of white with dots for eyes, all the same, all equal. None looking at him, all looking down.

Down at blots of darkness on the floor, huddled shapes that were likely their kin. It mattered not what they were. They were just more creatures of darkness, more tools of destruction.

Dark and evil. Nuts and bolts. All the same.

"For only he sees all, but care to notice only those who climb above the weak."

He could feel the small warmth of the torches heat his armor, one close to him now. It silhouetted a part of his armor, showing the truth of who he was. The other hid him in shadows, letting only the true color of his soul be shown.

The dark beings beneath were bathed in the light of the torches, but still as hidden as the darkness they clothed themselves in. The cracked floor of the cavern was jagged beneath them.

The dark muddled figures on the floor made whimpering sounds. He did not pay attention.

"For only through dedication can you hope to slay our master's true enemy."

He slowly drew his gun, aware that only a glance would reveal him now.

A twist of a single head, a glance from one eye, and they would see him crouched on the pillar above them. Not even the shadows could hide him.

Not a sound came from him. Only crackling flames filled the cavern's walls as the creatures continued to stand about one another, under the gaze of their master.

The walls did not have time to whisper warnings, caught between the harsh shadows and dull light of the torches. It left him unapproachable, undeterred atop the monsters of darkness.

He slowly aimed his pistol at the leader, holding the staff as she spoke to blots of shadow on the floor.

"Now stand."

His thumb flicked the safety of the pistol, loosening the gears within. It would fire now. And when it did, it would end the existence of one of the dark creatures.

Then he would hunt them, as he had before. He only needed to wait.

He needed to wait for them to be vulnerable.

**CRACK**

"Stand!"

The Priestess's voice yelled the command as the spear shattered the ground beneath. There was strength to be had there.

But the figures in the half-circle were moving now, separating from one another. One shape became three, then five, then seven. Seven figures that looked only slightly different from the monsters in the oval.

They were smaller, thinner, weaker, and coated in shadows, not draped in them. But there was another feature about them he could not ignore, one that still the finger draped along his gun's trigger.

They had faces, not masks.

They were the faces of children.

"Good," the leader spoke again. "Now, once more. Are you weak?"

They were children?

He stared with wide eyes, gun forgotten in his hand. The light of the fire gave shape to each of their faces, to all their misery.

Lips were pulled in frowns of pain, eyes were clenched with hurt and dismay, limbs were stiff with exhaustion and fear.

And slowly, like the breaths he forced himself to take, blood dripped from their open wounds.

Slowly, hauntingly, he watched blood drip from their petite forms to the cracked stone of the cavern. The flames illuminated their path, bore witness to their fall, and glorified the dead stone it landed on.

Blood. Human.

Not oil, not water, not any of odd liquid that stained the metal of the machines. Red, viscous blood.

They were human.

"Are. You. Weak?"

They were human children.

They were young girls, little ones, cloaked in darkness and beaten with fresh wounds. Tears mixed with sweat, glistening as they fell from their faces, staining the dry cavern they were huddled within.

The fire offered no kindness or secrecy to their pain. It hid none of their torment. But it did hide him. It hid him as he watched the children suffer, cry, and endure the screams of the leader of the monsters.

" _Answer._ Are you _weak_?"

But the monsters were human, too.

The monsters, the Priestess… women… were they family? Were they mothers? Sisters? Loved ones? Loved at all?

What were these creatures of shadow and darkness? Were they human at all?

Their masks hadn't changed, the shadows hadn't moved, but they were no longer creatures of darkness. The room had not grown, the walls had not been raised, but he felt as if he were dropping.

The fires crackled with greater intensity, pockets of air erupting in the coals of the flames. It existed only to show the apathy of the masks the taller ones wore, the disdain their dark robes had. It was born to show clearer the pain of the children, the suffering of their lives.

Suffering occurring within his gaze, within his reach.

And he was doing nothing.

Nothing, the same as he always did.

" _Are you weak!?"_

_Are you afraid!?_

The gun waved in his hand, clanking against the armor of his glove. His eyes stared from the children, to the figures of darkness, to the little ones, to the women garbed in shadows.

They were human. They were not monsters. They were not machines.

He had never killed a human before. He had never taken a life born free of Aku before.

**SMACK**

" _ARE YOU WEAK?!"_

_ARE YOU SCARED?!_

He watched as the leader landed a blow against one of the children, against one of the little ones. She let out a gasp of pain, leaving the ground long enough to tumble through the air.

The child hit the cracked ground without mercy, dust billowing after her. She did not rise. She did not cry.

The others did not follow.

"You disgrace Aku."

_You betrayed us_.

The leader walked towards the fallen child, the little one who let out not even a whimper of pain following the assault.

Her footsteps echoed as if it were the hammer upon an anvil, forging the cruelest of weapons. Her staff clicked next to her, the water that tempered the metal.

The child twisted upon the cracked red floor, body outlined by the torches around them, showing only what the shadows did not want.

It showed the pain upon her face, the fear in her eyes, and the misery of her life.

"You can't grace our master."

_You can't save anyone_

The Priestess stood over the child.

The child looked past her.

The child gazed at him, and he gazed back.

The crackling of the flames was muted as their eyes stared at one another. The shadow and light blended in the deep cavern. All of it became one, and all of it fell away.

It left only him and her, only he with a soul of black, staring at a child, kept from light.

She was the fern that was forgotten beneath the mighty oaks. She was the pebble forgotten against the mountain. She was the steel used for war, not for peace.

He could see it clearly in her gaze, hear it through the silence of her voice. She was nothing that these monsters… women wanted her to be.

There was no joy for her to celebrate, not even hope for her to imagine. She had been raised in the shadows, kept in the shadows, and coiled by the shadows.

She, and the sisters near her. They were all innocents. They were all tortured. And they were all asking for a thing they could not imagine.

They were asking for help.

"You don't honor Aku."

_You can't save her._

He was still doing nothing.

He was still committed to inaction. He had nothing, but he was something. Something that would not stand for what he was witnessing, and even a broken code demanded recompense from.

They were children. They were innocent. And they were meant to be guarded from the terrors of the darkness. He knew this.

For he was a samurai.

"And you cannot defeat-"

**_BANG!_ **

The blast from his gun flew true, striking towards the woman of darkness, the one who held a child like a tool. It was poised to strike her turned head, to end her torture of an existence.

**_TWANG!_ **

But like a spun dial, the Priestess twisted on her heel, slapping away the charge from his gun with the edge of her lance. It flew through the dark cavern, slamming into a far wall, and imploding on impact.

Dust and rubble fell away, covering the area of the cavern afflicted. But he did not look towards it. None of the woman garbed in black with masks of white did either. None of the children did either.

He only gazed at them, and them at him.

"Samurai _Jack_!"

The leader yelled, pointing her staff towards him, voice high and shrill. Her hand turned to a claw, talons reared back as if ready to strike. There was no doubt she would do just that.

The others in the room soon joined, bodies in dark cloaks hunching towards the ground, arms reaching out to grab at weapons around them, tools hidden from the torches' light. They were preparing to kill him. They were getting ready to end him.

He did the same unto them.

His pistol was put away, too dangerous a weapon with the children in the room. Jack's grenades were the same. Only a small miss-fortune would lead to the death of an innocent, to another stain on his soul.

Jack had only one tool that would do well in the dark cavern walls, between the high pillars and cracked totems.

His lance, to match the Priestess's own.

The flames of the torches crackled with energy, the truest sign that a battle had begun.

He jumped from the pillar above the women, unsheathing his staff as he did so. It extended as he flew, hair rushing past his armor and helm. At the apex of his jump, the base was out. As he began to fall, the spears at the tip were extended.

His feet hit the ground first, lowering himself into a crouch just as swiftly. A blade flew over his head, ringing in the cavern as it did so.

He jerked his arms towards the blade's owner, earning the dull resistance of impact. The sound of a collapsing body met his ears.

But Jack wasted no time. Never again. He thrust his lance forward, aiming but missing at another white masked woman. She had a katana to swing at him. But she did not.

Instead, another woman to the side swung at him, a pair of sais in her hand. The first bounced off his armor, too weak and shallow to break his armor. The second locked on his Sode, holding Jack in place. But hardly that.

He swung his opposite arm, fist meeting the mask of the woman and quickly sending her away, but he followed. He spun with the sai still trapped in his armor, ensnaring the woman, and keeping her from escape.

He could strike her twice more, both times with his unarmed hand. It was more than enough for the woman to release him, form crumbling as if she had returned to the shadows.

A kusarigama flew past his head, missing Jack's armor, and face. It was an intentional miss. He knew this as soon as his eyes spied the taunt chain.

He bent his body backwards, dodging the sickle that was quickly pulled back into the shadows, his head. Had he not done so, it would have taken his head. But dodging an attack was not enough. He needed to strike.

Bent backwards, he twisted his staff until the butt of it cracked against the dry rock of the cavern, putting his weight onto it. Jack's strength easily allowed him to push himself off the ground, the staff his only connection to the earth.

**CRACK**

A kanabo slammed into the floor where he just stood, shattering the stone into dust. His armor would not have survived a blow from the device. But the woman wielding it likely could not either.

He pulled back on his lance, taking it from the earth, but putting his body into a spin. It was quick and intentionally, moving all of his force to a single point. That being the edge of his lance.

In time with him landing, completing a full summersault, he drove his lance forward again, aiming at the woman holding the kanabo. Resistance was his reward.

It was heavy, deep, likely the chest of the woman he had struck. It had taken from her life, and given him time. But not enough to dodge another of the dark robed woman.

A lance wracked down Jack's back, sending him forward and loosening his Do. But it was shallow. It gave him time to jump forward, under a torch that lit up the cavern.

His body spun on the ground, the gravel and dust of the mountain's core letting him slide across its surface. Jack stopped only when his stance was sure, two feet planted upon the ground, lance in hand, and helm upon his head.

He was offered only a moment of reprieve, enough time for him to note that he was free of the shadows, and the women currently swimming in them. Only the light of the torch shone on him. It would not dare touch the humans who chose darkness.

"Kill him! Kill the Samurai!"

_You killed us! You killed us, Son!_

The Priestess's words echoed in his mind. But Jack focused on the shadows instead.

His lance swung forward, blocking the katana of one woman that reached from the dark. His positions the rear of the staff between his chest and arm, swinging the pole in a half circle. The shadows moved in kind, the woman hiding in it jumping above his strike.

It was not enough, not for him.

He pushed forward, reaching, and grabbing at the leg of the robed woman. She was light and easy to carry. That meant easy to swing.

Jack leaned back, pulling the woman forward and into the light of the fire. His lance became a counter balance to the woman. It was more than enough to build momentum, to turn the torturer into a tool.

Her body whipped around him, the robe she wore reducing her ability to fight back. The swinging kept her fellow worshippers from attacking. Neither would last long.

"Gha!" He yelled out as he threw the woman with a single arm, stopping his own spin with the butt of his lance.

He heard her sail through the air, bone and limbs cracking against a far wall or pillar. It was not a soft landing, and he had not thrown her with anything less than his full strength.

That was not to consider the spikes that lined the columns and walls.

**_THUNK_ **

Jack's world was rocked as something heavy slammed against his head. He was not prepared for it.

His helm flew from its post, clattering across the dry rock. It slid from the light, into the shadows, and out of sight.

The shadows were against him. So, he would invite the light.

Jack's lance swung back, notching itself on the pole that held one of the fires. A twist of his wrist sent the device tipping over, spilling its embers and coals onto the rocky surface of the mountain's cavern.

Like a wave crashing into a beach, the fire exposed the women hiding in the shadows. It's flash of light showed them all to him. He memorized everyone.

A woman with a bow and arrow.

A woman with a katana.

A woman with a pair of sais.

A woman with a hole in her stomach.

A woman with a wound through her neck.

A woman hanging from a column of spikes.

And the Priestess standing with her staff ready.

Jack had taken three lives. And he would take four more.

They had taken his helm, Tare, and the Kusari of his right arm. They had left his face with wounds, blood dripping into the hair on his face. Sweat stuck the mane that fell from his head. His breathing was calm, his strength undaunted.

The embers of the fire quickly dimmed, no longer a collective to spread the light. And as the light dimmed, the same-faced women fell back into the shadows. When they were hidden, they would attack.

Jack readied his staff once more, gripping it tightly through his gloves.

The coals of the lantern hissed, smothering the remains of the flames. The portion of the cavern they stood in once more fell to darkness.

**TWANG**

Sparks flew and died in front of him, something hard and metallic colliding with his staff. It illuminated Jack's face, it showed the dark garbed woman. Than nothing.

He swung into the darkness, lowering his stance for balance. Jack's lance swam through the dry air, but collided with nothing. He pulled it back immediately.

**TWANG**

No sooner did he do so than did a sai collide with it. He saw the robed woman low the ground, running like a snake, in the light of the embers. She disappeared with the fire.

Jack ducked, balancing himself on his staff as he fell close to the ground. He heard something fly above his head, where his helm used to stand. Its path was arced, controlled. It was a mistake.

He twisted the lance, letting his weight fall to the bedrock. It allowed him to swing his staff in a full circle, reaching the woman that was doubtlessly behind him.

**TWANG**

It collided with her katana, showering the darkness with the quick fire of sparks once more. It showed her uneven posture, her surprise even through a mask of white. It showed Jack's strength.

He reached forward with his foot, finding a place behind the foot of the woman. He pulled, feeling her balance thrown in the darkness. The sound of her body hitting the ground was audible.

As audible as the whistling in the dark. An arrow from the third woman of shadows.

Jack flipped backwards, avoiding another tool that aimed to take his life. His armor clanked heavily as he landed, but he landed unharmed. The arrow did not find home in him.

A sai belonging to another of the woman did.

Jack's teeth grit as the tip of the steel found home in his arm, in the hole of armor left by the loss of his Kusari. It was a mistake on his part, but he could correct this.

He dropped his lance, letting gravity take hold of it. He reached for the weapon embedded in his arm, finding the write of the woman who wielded it.

With the speed the darkness allowed, that his armor forgave, he pulled the woman forward, slamming his head into her mask. No sparks flew, but the damage was evident.

The sound of cracked porcelain falling upon the rock floor filled the cavern, but not a sight of it being offered to the light. It was good, but not enough.

Enough was the whistling of another arrow.

Jack released the woman, twisting his body with his arm crooked towards his head. He quickly felt the arrow embed itself into his opposite Kusari, splintering the metal and tangling in his Kote. It did not hurt.

He quickly pulled the rod out, holding it above his head and thrusting it downward.

**TWANG**

It was ripped from his grip a katana colliding with its steel point. The sparks that flew showed him kneeling over a woman with a cracked mask, another swinging with a strong arc, and his next tool to strike.

His free arm grabbed the sai that was by his knee, illuminated by the now dead sparks. He grabbed it in the same motion with which he thrust forward, ramming it into the katana wielding woman.

Resistance was his reward, and another life upon his soul.

**CRUNCH**

Jack grit his teeth, pushing away from the blow that had hit him. It had his neck, crushing his Tare. The pieces of metal that made up the precious part of his armor fell to the bedrock, useless.

And he was still caught in shadow, hidden in shadow.

That had to change. But he needed an out, an escape. The shadows were possessive and greedy, unwilling to let go what they had. The women were a part of that monstrosity.

But his way came through another flying arrow. It was loud, obvious, even in the dark. It made it perfect.

His arm extended and hand twisted towards the flying steel, letting it sail into the pocket he had created. A quick grip of his gloves and the shaft was caught, stopping the point from striking true. But he had not time to hesitate.

Jack pivoted on his foot, twisted the arrow till it resembled a dagger in his hand. His momentum carried with the movement, hidden by the shadows. Leaning forward he swung his arm, throwing the dagger through the air.

It flew true, hitting a hanging pot, spilling its contents to the floor.

Coals, embers, and the fires they birthed fell to the rocky bed of the mountain's cavern. As it has before, the walls were lit with the red light of the fire.

It showed the red spikes of the tall columns, the steep height of the cavern walls, and the fresh liquid that poured about the once dry rocky floor.

Only three of the women remained.

The one bearing the katana ran at him, feet soundless as she charged. It mattered not at all, not while Jack could see her. Even as she struck out, her porcelain face was free of emotion.

It remained just the same when he caught the blade between his hands.

The sharpness of the blade cut into his gloves tearing, into the threads of the fabric. It was more than enough to have shaved off his skin had they not been there.

But they were there, and as such, Jack caught her blade.

His arms jerked quickly, putting his weight along the flat of the blade, twisting it harshly. The blade was pulled up and out of the woman's hands, her darkened garbed fingers unable to hold a grip on the hilt.

But Jack had no such problems, not with his armor.

The blade spun towards him, and he grabbed the hilt of it before even a half- circle had been spun. The woman backed away, silently still. But he would not.

Perhaps she had an expression of fear under her mask. Perhaps she was begging with wet eyes for him to cease his strike. But he would not.

She had come prepared to kill, and so she must be prepared to die.

The blade drove through the woman's torso, ripping out of her side. Jack shut his eyes as the strike finished, blinding himself to the life he had taken, to the blood he had spilled. He could hear both.

Just as he could hear the arrow being fired at him once more. But with just a small opening of his eyes, a glance from his once closed lids, he could see it coming.

He did not simply dodge it, and he did more than merely catch it. Jack did what most had called impossible.

He twisted the katana in his hand, placing it in a familiar hold he was haunted by. He lifted the steel, aligning it with the arrow that flew towards him. He kept his eyes shut.

Jack felt the arrow strike his blade. He felt it at the speed he observed the moon to fly with. It grated along the steel of the unfamiliar katana, its path bending only slightly. Its momentum was unchanged.

His hand twisted the blade, pushing the flat against the arrow as his body bent opposite of it. The arrow continued its path, already out of reach to him. But Jack was not done.

As the arrow continued to ride the steel of the katana, he gripped the guard with both hands. His body swung in tandem with the blade, guiding the path of the arrow now. An arrow thrown by a bow, but now directed by steel.

Jack felt the arrow lifting away from the katana, just in time as well. He flicked the arrow back at the dark robed woman, watching her expressionless mask remain as such as the arrow returned to her.

It flew into the hole of her mask. Blood flew out in turn. She fell to the red bed rock, staining it the same color.

Now only one remained.

Only the Priestess with a soul to match his own.

She stood across the fallen flames, burning coal and embers littering the rock between them. He stood with his armor torn, a foreign katana in his hand, held in a familiar way.

He stood across from her, the shadows silhouetting his appearance to her. She stood with her staff tightly clenched, posture hidden in the depths of her dark robe.

The fire crackled between them, the only sound in the mountain's cavern. No wind flicked at his exposed hair. No pebbles fell and clattered with the stone. It was only the fire that kept the noise away. Only the fire.

But it did not last.

The Priestess jumped first, fast, an example of what one could be with the shadows. Her spear was held back, ready to thrust towards Jack's head. But she had made a mistake.

She was a member of the darkness. But she was exposed to the light.

Her advantage was gone.

**TWANG**

Jack slapped the Priestess's staff away with a quick swing. He followed quickly with another of his own, aiming for her vulnerable neck. But he felt no resistance.

The woman had fallen into a crouch, dodging the blow with ease. She kicked out with her feet, attempting to drip him. But it did not work. His armor was too heavy, his stance too sure.

He swung again, twice now at her, but both missed again. Like the shadows she wore, she swam through the blows expertly, flipping back and landing with a crouch, staff at the ready.

Again, she charged, and again she failed.

**TWANG TWANG**

He swung once, twice, deflecting the sharp end of her rod, then the butt she attempted to swing at him. Sparks flew again, muted by the fire. And again, as both attempts to attack him failed, Jack followed through with his own.

He struck forward with his foot, attempting to kick the woman off balance. But she released her staff, allowing her to push off it and out of the way of his strike. She did not waste the momentum.

The Priestess spun quickly, on a heel Jack couldn't swing, once more aiming for his legs. This time, with only a single foot upon the rock and her force increased, it worked.

His orientation was rocked as he fell, ending quickly with him slamming back first onto the rock. His armor did not aid him now. It only added to the weight of the fall, and the exposure he now suffered from.

The Priestess, however, saw her chance. She quickly recovered her lance, jumping into the air with it raised above her head. Jack's eyes refocused quickly, looking up the cavern's high ceiling.

He could not see a top to the cavern. But he could see the Priestess falling towards him.

"Die samurai!" The woman roared as she descended on him. But he was not pinned and she too far away.

He rolled quickly, pulling his arms together and across the bed rock. He heard the stone shatter behind him, dust and pebbles flying just after. His armor would not have held against such a blow.

Jack stopped rolling when he found another weapon, his first weapon, in fact.

He stood quickly, armor ruined and hair mattered, but with his own lance in hand.

The Priestess was charging at him, he knew she would be. She still had not learned of her weakness.

She had spent too much time in the darkness. She did not know how to fight in the light.

**TWANG TWANG TWANG TWANG TWANG**

Their lances struck one another, quickly and forcefully. Jack gave no ground as the diaphysis of his lance blocked the swings and strikes of the Priestess's. Quick movements, minimal force, just enough to stop her from doing harm.

**TWANG TWANG**

He did the same unto her, striking with purpose with the butt and front of his lance, aiming for head, neck, and torso. But where his lance was not batted away, the Priestess had dodged with a twirl or low swing.

It felt unending.

His breath was becoming heavy, the heat of the room intense.

Fire without an exit and a battle hard and grueling did not make for a restful body. His teeth grit the longer he held his spear, the more he swung it in defense and attack. Sweat seeped into his fabric, through his hair.

And as the Priestess struck again.

"Gah!"

Blood now mingled into his beard.

It was a shallow wound, hardly worth a thought, but it showed she was not suffering the same as he. She was not tiring in the heat or length of the battle. She was like the darkness, she was like the shadows.

She grew stronger the weaker the light became.

It was not a fight Jack could afford to prolong any further.

He struck out with his lance, aiming high and to the right. The Priestess did as he expected, ducking low and aiming for another strike at his head. She wished to kill, not to injure. So, it was his head.

And so, it was her final mistake.

He tilted his head just enough to dodge the blow, enough for her to be unsteady on her feet while he sure footed and prepared. He dropped his lance once more. Reaching up and grabbing at the staff that had missed him.

The Priestess looked taken aback, even through a porcelain white mask. He did not care to wait for her.

Staff in hand, he struck out with his foot once more. This time, however, he did not kick her body away from him. He instead placed his heavy boot upon the fabric of her robe. It caught her, like a fish in a net.

**BAM**

He slammed his fist into the woman's chest, feeling the muscles beneath her give way to his own. She was strong, but he was far stronger.

The Priestess lurched with the blow, unprepared and unable to reduce the force of it. But he was not done.

Jack raised his foot from her robe, only to allow him the time to spin. With the techniques instilled to him decades ago, he spun about his heel with flexed legs. At the apex of his spin, he extended his footing outward.

The sole of his boot pounded into the side of the Priestess's head.

Her mask shattered with the blow.

Like a thrown doll, her body tumbled across the stone of the cavern, limbs tangling as she fell into a dark messy pile. She did not move.

But Jack was not done.

He twisted the Priestess's Staff, still held in his hands. He marched towards her fallen body, paying no heed to the collection of plaster white material in his way. He cared not for what she wore, only the deeds she had committed to.

Jack stood above the woman, still a mess on the floor, and not moving at all. Her face was hidden from him, facing away the smoldering fire and covered by the hood of her mask. His snuck his boot to the corner of her shoulder, rolling her over.

And then he could see her face.

Her skin was as white as the mask she wore, and just as flawless. Narrow bones ending at a sharp chin, red lips open and panting with pain. Dark hair, long and matted with sweat, was exposed through the loss of her face. A good majority of it was still hidden in the folds of her robe.

And slowly, clearly painfully, her eyes blinked up at him. Singular dots, small pupils, focused with an intent Jack was familiar with.

He immediately put his boot on her chest, keeping her from moving. Her hands immediately reached for it, grabbing at the ankle of his leg with all the force she could muster. It was hardly enough to lift a stone.

She was too tired to twist his foot. He was too heavy to sneak out of. She was unarmed and unable to fight back.

He had won.

The Priestess looked up at him, teeth grit in a snarl and eyes focused in rage. He had won, but she had not lost.

Then… he had almost won.

Jack raised the spear above his head, aiming it downward. The Priestess did not look away.

The fire was dying now, the coals chilled on the floor and turning the red light into a murky shadow. It silhouetted his form, hiding the pain of his face and damage to his armor. Only his eyes remained to be seen.

Only his eyes focused on her.

"Strike… Kill me if you must, Samurai!" The Priestess spoke to him, body caught beneath his boot. "But you will not last… you cannot run forever. No one can. Only one in all of history is the true master of Time!"

Jack narrowed his gaze at the poor woman, the human corrupted by the dark. His narrowed gaze fell further until his eyes were shut, leaving him with only ears to witness the woman's words.

He silent listed a prayer to his ancestors.

"You will never defeat Master AKU!"

He let her spear fall.

**GLERCH**

The sound of ripping muscle and bone echoed through the halls of the cavern, through the bloodied spikes of red and over the dimly lit corpses. It was wet and slick, unnerving to listen to. But… it was necessary, in the face of evil.

Jack's breathing slowed, his muscles relaxed, and mind, slowly, uncoiled.

It was done.

He removed his boot from her chest, standing surely on the stone again.

Jack did not look at her. He did not look at the corpse of the mad woman. He didn't need to.

Her blood was already stained on his soul.

He took in a deep breath of air, dry and stained with dust. The staff was released from his hand, letting it fall to the floor in a clutter. He didn't want to hold it.

The fires had all but died now, leaving only the tall torches and shadows in the cavern. The shadows that reclaimed the bodies of the women, hiding them once more from the world.

Seven humans that wore robes of darkness. Seven women that would never return to the light.

_Murderer_.

Jack heard the shadows whisper, the souls of the women calling the stains on his soul. He shut his eyes, ignoring them. They had no right to judge him.

They had no right, not after what they had done.

He turned his gaze back to the far cavern wall, to the carved stone that held the visage of the Shogun of Sorrow, the Shapeshifting Master of Darkness. To the being the only being that deserved to be loathed more than himself.

His boots clattered on the stone as he walked towards the statue, the light of the torches afraid to touch him. It did not stop him. He had to check on them. He had to check on the children.

The children, garbed as darkly as the women, but without masks of apathy. The children, once more huddled together beneath the statue of Aku. They were shivering together.

Jack slowed as he approached, afraid of frightening the children. They were small, fragile, and had just bore witness to the worst of humanity. He could not, would not, do more than he had done.

When he was finally before, just out of arm's reach, the light of the fire showed him to them, and they to him.

They looked at him, stared, even as they pushed themselves closer together, afraid to be apart. With the red light of the torches, thick shadows of the cavern, and fatigue from the battle, Jack had little ability to see where each of the young ones began and ended.

But he could see their faces, just as clear as their eyes.

Their skin was as white as the masks the women wore, but flawed with red marks and tears. They had narrow bones ending at sharp chins, red lips tightly shut with fright. Dark hair, combed in a variety of ways, were sitting atop of their heads.

Jack's eyes slowly widened the longer he stared at the young girls.

The children.

They were… _her_ children.

Jack watched them, seven of them, huddle together with fear in their eyes. Tears ran down their faces as sobs wracked their chests. They did not run to him, they did not thank him.

Blood still dripped from the wounds inflicted on them, the unforgiveable acts he had witnessed wrought against them. But still they did not smile at him, they did not relax before him.

Children, little ones, beings born into the world by the will and act of another. Born with innocence, tortured for glee, now fearful of all that was.

And he had killed their family. He had _killed_ their mother.

He had killed them.

_They hate you._

The shadows spoke to him. Jack looked up, seeing the red eyes staring back at him, tortured souls considering him. Creatures of dark that saw the dark future.

With eyes of red. With hair of flames. With pillars of darkness.

_You killed their mothers, samurai. You took their family._

No! He had not! They were no family to these little ones!

Jack's eyes focused on the children once more, still fearful and huddled together. Staring at him, clinging to one another. Staring… at him.

Fearful of him.

The shadows leered at him, their joy above the children's sorrow. Their anger upon his unworthy soul.

_Why would they trust you? Why would they thank you?_

Jack shut his eyes. He grit his teeth. He clenched his hands.

He had acted without thought. He had betrayed his ways once more.

Horrible, vile, wicked, all words to label the dark garbed women who brutalized their own children. But they were the family of these girls. They were their caretakers, their matrons, their mothers.

And he, without thought of consequence, had taken them from these little ones.

Just as the little ones of his village, dead and gone to time. Left now only to remind him of his inadequacy.

_You could not save us! You can only damn them!_

For he had failed yet again.

"Why?" Jack opened his eyes.

One of the girls, clinging to another for dear life, stared up at him. Her eyes were wet, tears fresh, and blood still running down the side of her face. Her lip trembled, but Jack knew if it was of pain or fear.

"Why did you hurt them?" The question of a child. The truth of Jack's life.

"Because they hurt you," he spoke in turn. A failure on his part. He had been hurt during his own training. These girls may be no different. "And that is wrong."

"You… saved us?" Another of the girls spoke. She had hands about herself, shivering. Jack knew not if it was from the cold of the cavern or the fear of his presence.

"I…" he began. The answer was obvious. The answer was clear, as apparent as the shadows that taunted him. "I do not know."

"Are you… are you going to hurt us?" A third girl, cradling her leg as she sat on the rough cavern floor. Blood seeped from a wound her hands hid. It was apparent like light in the darkness.

"No," Jack returned. It was an answer he knew. "I will not hurt you anymore."

He would leave them before he could do anymore. He would find an unfortunate soul who crossed his path and have them take the children to a safe village. There, they would be safe, safer than with him.

They would eat, they would sleep, they would grow, they would learn, and they would survive. They would not be burdened with his dark soul anymore. Then…

He felt something grip him.

Jack looked down, immediately seeing one of the children pushing on him. No… that wasn't the right word. Even a child knew how to push something away.

She had her arms wrapped about his armor, finger knitting into the openings made available in his battle. Her hold was strong, sure, and possessive.

She was hugging him. And she was crying against him.

He… did not understand.

The shadows did not mock him. His ancestors did not scorn him. All was silent, save for the sniffling of the little ones, and the crying of the one holding him.

Carefully, knowing he was handling something small and fragile, his placed his hand atop the girl's head. Her hair was curved and forked in two directions, giving him a spot to lay his palm.

She stiffened at his touch, but did not shirk away. Rather, he felt the opposite.

The little one leaned into his touch, craving contact. Her tears were clear and her voice audible. Jack gripped her head softly, but with more surely than before.

The sobs began in earnest.

Her wailing echoed off the cavern walls, ignorant to the battle that had been wrought. Jack's armor muffled only the barest of the cries, taking all the tears the girl shed. But hardly as tall as his knee, and with the signs of abuse on her face, she held him with the strength of lions.

Jack looked away only when he felt another of the little ones press against him, leaning in with the child he patted. She held onto her sister, onto him, holding them as she began to sob as well. He could not reach her, not with his arm about the first of the children.

Then another came up to him, quickly wrapping her tiny arms about his neck.

He leaned down towards her, afraid she would hurt herself reaching up to him. Her face was matted in his beard, tears mixing with his sweat. He could not see her, only feel her.

Then another gripped his free arm, pushing her face into his shoulder. Jack looked at her, the child already holding him for dear life, sobs and wails unmuted like her sisters. He curled his arm about her, picking her off the ground.

She was light, too light for a child.

They were all too light, too pained, too broken. They were all too much for the world.

Jack's voice was unsettled, mind unsure of what to do. He knew not an act to placate a little one like these children, the victims of acts Aku would have marveled upon.

"Shh…Shh little ones," he attempted to speak, eyes darting about the seven young girls that crowded him now. "It is… all right. You are safe." He was not sure himself, and his words did nothing for their tears.

The child in the crux of his arm gripped his shoulder, crying into him with abandon. The first girl to approach him and one of her sisters were leaning into his side, guarded by his opposite arm. They washed him with tears.

Another was grabbing at his neck, reaching up to hold onto something of his person. Two more were holding one another, leaning closely to their siblings as they did so. And the last was leaning onto his side, desperate for contact.

"Please be… be at peace," Jack tried again, but his own words were failing him now. Saving children was something he had done many times before, often the focus of many of his journeys.

But they had homes to return to, families that welcomes them, loved ones that worshiped their homecomings.

These girls had no one… and they clung to him.

"It's over now," Jack spoke to them, carefully now. "They will never hurt you again, little ones."

For there was no way for them to.

The children gave no heed or mind to his words. They only continued to grip him and mourn. Mourn for what, he could not be sure.

A mother that had cared more for a great evil than her daughters.

A family that to attack rather than defend.

A life that was never to be.

Or the future they may still have.

Yes… a future.

Jack pulled the few of the girls that held him tighter. The reciprocated in kind. Their tears cleaned the dust from his armor, the blood from his skin. And perhaps, if only a little, the darkness from his soul.

His ancestors had no ill words for the embrace. No blame was being relayed through his actions. The shadows were quiet in the presence of these little ones.

Perhaps… perhaps this was what he was meant to do.

Perhaps… if it was by the request of those who came before him, he was placed upon this mountain, within this cavern, at this moment in time, to find these children.

Perhaps… he was meant to do more than merely save them from harm.

Perhaps…

"I will protect you," Jack spoke quietly, but strongly. He spoke the words as he would the creed of the samurai before his father. "I will keep you safe."

He felt the children squirm, wet eyes gazing at him with is words. They did not move from him. They did not release or cry in terror. Their throats were likely as soar as the wounds on their face. Tears long since held being shed, finally.

"Promise?" One of them asked. Jack looked at her.

She was holding her sister as she leaned against Jack, her hair combed into a tall point. Jack did not look away from her for even a moment.

"I do." He spoke truly.

He would protect these young ones.

Jack would _raise_ these children.


	2. Jack and the Forest Trek

Forty years had passed.

Forty years since hope was lost and the past ignored. Forty years without a trace of aging upon him, and without a difference to his person. That… was not entirely true.

This was Jack's first day with children from the mountain.

It was the first day in many years he had companions to walk with, but it was only one of a few times said companions were adolescents. The last he had met was likely a man with children of his own.

But the children that followed him were far from helpless, for the worst of reasons.

They did not complain as they trekked the rocky mountain, even if he slowed his steps for them.

They spoke not a word of complaint as the hours stretched long, even if he offered no words of his own.

And even now, with the sun reaching over head, he had yet to hear them ask for a thing.

They were children, but they acted so differently to what children should.

He looked back on them, seven young girls all dressed the same and differing only by the comb of their hair. They had wide eyes around them as they moved forward, looking everywhere around them.

For every step they took through the forest was a new experience for them, and it showed. He watched their astonishment for the fallen leaves on the forest floor, crackling and dissipating between their feet.

He followed their gazes, looking at the forest giants that stretched overhead. So tall with so strong bark that they looked impervious to anything time could offer. It was certainly more to see, more to experience, then from within a red rocked mountain.

Where the mountains rose only hold themselves high, the forest giants grew to give sanctuary to the life beneath them. It was the truth of nature, no matter the season.

Even with the leaves changing colors, the air slowly chilling, and most life in the forest preparing for a long rest, the giants did not shirk their duties. The leaves that hung from their tall branches continued to shade the forest floor, and their trunks were still as strong as the mountain's stone.

A tweet of a bird sounded above them, and Jack watched as all the girls shifted to stare up at it. Jack looked too.

It was a swallow, a young one, likely born this year and without a mate. Its voice was young and full of energy, and it had feet to match. Jumping along the branches it stood on, wings flapping quickly with its song.

Jack watched it with the girls, stopping to see the bird moving through the colorful leaves. It had a blue coat, but it danced amongst leaves of fiery red and solemn orange. It would be a hard task to not spy the bird.

But it was the only one of its kind.

Jack listened to the bird, and he listened past it. No other swallows echoed its call, no other birds shared its song. He heard leaves drifting in the air, bark creaking as trees swayed, and the whistle of the wind from the high canopy.

But no other birds sang with the swallow. It was along in a forest that was preparing for winter.

Not a moment later, the bird took flight. Jack heard its voice fade. The girls all shifted heads to watch it go. But none of them asked a question. None of them made a sound.

Jack sighed slowly. Aku's evil touched even where he no longer was. That only meant they needed to continue.

"Agh!" The voice shocked him still.

_You won't help us! You never_ wanted _to save us!_

Jack spun to see, not a ghost of his dark past, but one of the girls laying on the ground, already twisting to pull her knee to her chest. The others, her sisters, had stopped to stare at her. Jack did the same, though he felt guilt at the sense of ease it brought him.

But she likely needed help.

She must have tripped on a root, the untamed strengths of the forest giants. They would not offer any give to a traveler that set foot on them.

He had taken hardly a step before the girl stood up, clenching her fists at her side.

He stopped the same, unsure of what the young girl was doing.

Only the sounds of the forest echoed around them.

Jack could already see the fresh wound on her knee, small drops of blood collecting at the wounded skin. The black outfit she wore had faded away as well, likely too thin to endure her harsh fall.

"You are hurt," Jack spoke the fact, kneeling down towards the girl. He reached out towards her, prepared to nurse the wound.

"I-I'm not!" She all but yelled out. His hand froze. "I can continue! I'm not weak!" His eyes widened.

Jack looked towards the other girls, the other victims of Aku. They would not look at him, and they offered no sympathies towards their sister.

They did not care. They had not yet been allowed to care.

Jack let out a slow breath of air, taking in another provided by the forest. He had to calm his mind, as would anyone witnessing such a thing. Such would any witness to an unnatural act within the natural beauty of the forest.

"Little one," Jack began, making sure he was low enough to the ground to look up at the child. She did not respond to him. "Please be at ease. Nothing is going to happen."

Her arms were shaking, fists clenched so tight. Jack could see her eyes were shut with as much strength, lips pierced to keep herself from crying. She was hurt, but perhaps a thousand times before, she was told to ignore her pain.

"We… left so quickly, I did not think to ask your name." Even though he doubted they could see it, he smiled at her. He was hopeful his beard was not too thick. Or that she was at least brave enough to look at him. "Please, what is it?"

Slowly, as he would expect of a child, she cracked her eyes towards him. He made sure to hold his smile, even if his beard hid it from view. She looked around Jack, maybe looking for something that would hurt her. He would allow no such things near her.

"A-Ashi…" she spoke on a shaking voice. Jack nodded his head towards her.

"Ashi," he repeated. "I am not going to harm you. I want to help you." He held out his hand towards her. "May I see where you are hurt?"

"I'm not hurt!" Ashi immediately yelled back. Ah, so it was too quick. Jack raised his hands up, eyes never leaving her. He could not, for he was sure the other women in the mountain would.

"I believe… you are injured then," Jack rephrased, lowering one hand to indicate her knee. Ashi tried to hide it, moving it behind her other leg and crouching over it.

She was shaking. Jack realized know _why_ she was shaking.

"Please, Ashi," Jack spoke her name again, not daring to move even an inch towards her. She may very well run. "There is nothing I wish to do but help you. Do you want me to help you?" He kept his eyes on her.

She looked at him still, biting her lower lip. The forest continued to sing around them. Chirping birds, swaying branches, gentle breezes, all so natural. All so alien to a young girl who would not accept help when she experienced pain.

Slowly, she extended her leg towards him. It was a slow act, delicate, as if she feared he would strike out at a single moment.

But he would not. He only needed to teach them such.

"Thank you," Jack began, removing his glove so that he could touch her skin.

He was slow in approach, almost cautious. Too quickly may frighten the young girl, and such a thing was far from what Jack hoped for. He kept his eyes to Ashi's, watching her young eyes watch his with trepidation.

Jack carefully threaded his fingers around her knee, holding the thin limb in his grasp. They were children, small children, and her leg fit like a thick twig in his grasp. So he held it gently, for fear that he would break it.

Ashi made not a sound as he carefully moved from watching her eyes to inspecting the wound. It was shallow, light, and hardly something an adult would pay mind to. But to a child, it was pain. And pain was never something to be desired.

"Does it hurt?" He gently asked, looking back at Ashi. Her head quickly shook, dismissing the question. Even while she bit her lip to silence her voice.

Jack sighed, knowing the truth already.

"You will be alright," he spoke kindly, softly, to the little one. "We only need to wash and bandage it." That would be of little difficulty in the forest. Rivers often ran through them, shallow and easy to bathe in.

"Wash?" Ashi spoke the word as a question. Jack blinked, in response.

He tilted his head at Ashi's words, but she only mimicked his action in return. Children often joked about such simple things, but he this little one did not have the immature smile that others her age would have.

She truly did not know what it was to bathe. That was… troubling.

"Um…" Jack began, unsure of what words to use. He had explained many things to many people, from acts as simple as holding a sort to the complexity of his life before these forty years, but never had he had to tell of something like this. "To wash is… to clean."

The child's expression did not change. Jack hummed, rubbing his free hand through his beard and over his chin. This wasn't going to work.

He could think of not a word to describe something so simple, and something that these little ones would understand. But if you could not describe with words, you did so through action.

"Perhaps… it would be best to show you," Jack concluded after a moment of thought. "It will help us to take care of this wound." Jack motioned towards the scab without touching it. Touching it would hurt, and he did not wish to bring pain to the child.

But he still needed to clean the larger piece of dirt that clung to the wound. Otherwise it would hurt to walk.

Gentle as he could, using his bare hand, Jack rubbed his knuckles above and below Ashi's knee, pushing away the dirt that clung to her skin and suit.

And she pushed away the dirt, it clung instead to his own. He did not mind. It would match his soul. The same shade of darkness, the same level of… wait.

Jack's eyes narrowed, twisting and lifting his hand to his eyes. He stared at his knuckles, seeing the harsh black material that now stained his hand. No such color existed in a forest, let alone during the chill of autumn.

He looked back down at Ashi's knee, searching about the wound. And there he saw the dark suit she wore, smeared across her skin. Now his eyes widened.

The suit… wasn't a suit.

"Oh," Jack simply spoke.

He turned to look at the other girls, the sisters that were silent through his exam. They all covered scars and mares upon their body, all looking everywhere but towards him.

And now that he watched them, he could see the same dark ash upon their body.

"Oh."

Jack needed to find a river.

* * *

And he found one.

It was not far from them, as they were already deep in the forest. Rivers tended to be from where great giants rose, because they fed the deep roots and invited a cool drink. Leave already coasted gently down the stream, some curled like simple boats atop the running waters and others drifting like fish under the surface.

Trees taller than the ones they passed when entering the woods encroached on the river's edge. Greedy roots took to abandoning the ground and laying within the surface of the water. Others were more respectful, some distance away but with branches that hung above the stream, shading it beyond the canopy high above.

But it was clear in color, free of pollution or taint. Clear enough to not only make out the copiously colored leaves, but also the pebbles that lined the bottom of the river's bed. Clean, moving, and far away from any town or village.

Jack walked to the river's edge, the little ones following close behind him. He knelt at the edge of the river bed, taking off his glove to let his bare hand sit in the water, testing it.

It flowed around his fingers smoothly. No sediment or coarse material stuck to his hand. At worst a leaf bumped into it, but just as quickly continued its trek down the stream. The water was chilled, but far from unbearable.

It was the perfect place to bathe. Jack nodded, turning towards the little ones.

They were standing by the stream's edge as well, each one staring at it on hands and knees. Jack watched them play with the water, dipping their hands into the cool liquid before quickly pulling it out. Wide eyes and open mouths, this was as new to them as the forest giants that still towered over them.

Tiny hands grabbed at the fallen leaves, pulling the brittle material from the water. Petite gasps were uttered as the fragile leaves fell to pieces, falling back into the water and being carried further down the river.

"Did I kill it?" One of the girls asked. Jack blinked at the question, though it was not directed to him.

"Yeah, you did," another spoke in return. Jack shook his head.

"Uh, no no," he spoke up, earning the immediate attention of the three girls. "It was a leaf, a part of the trees around us." He held up his hand, showing the forest giants he knew the girls were already enamored with.

But their eyes still looked up, tracing the trunks of the forest giants to the high branches above them. He watched a few follow the falling leaves as they collected on the river's surface, or fell further into the water.

"Are they dying?" the same child asked, her already matted and smooth.

"They must be weak." Ashi answered now, the only of the girls Jack knew by name.

He shook his head lightly to their conclusion.

"No, they are not," He spoke simply, easily, for the little ones. They stared at him with wide eyes, focused like warriors. "They are… preparing themselves for the cold of winter. Shedding what clings to them now, so they may endure what follows."

He held up his hand, eyes trained on a leaf that slowly fell to the ground. It flittered through the air, twisting over itself, rocking back and forth. Like a slow raindrop, it came to rest in his hand, form crumpled and colored red.

Jack held the leaf towards the girls. They did not move towards him, only staring at the object.

"A leaf from a tree protects and provides for the forest giants." He explained carefully, slowly. They were children, tortured little ones. "When air becomes cold, and the snow prepares to fall, the leaves fall first to cover the ground, to protect the roots of the trees."

"Roots?" The child full of questions asked. She carefully moved towards him, her sisters watching her cautiously. She crawled across the wet grass, heedless to how it was clinging to her skin. Her eyes were on him, and the leaf he held.

"Yes," Jack began, smiling through the thick of his beard. "Roots are what lay beneath a tree. They hold up the mighty giants, giving them strength and a means to grow. Without the roots, there would be no trees, no giants to provide for the forest."

The child did not ask anything in return. Jack did not push for her to.

Instead, he slowly lowered his hand into the cool stream once more, letting the leaf he carried being picked up by the water. It began to float down the river soon after, silent as its fall.

Jack turned to see the girls watching it float away, all still silent and likely full of questions. He watched them each look at the forest floor around them, grabbing at the leaves that were blanketing the ground, touching before lightly grabbing them.

They were gentle, or a few of them were at least, lifting up the fallen tree petals with both hands, letting them rest in their palms. Jack spoke not a word as they played with them, crunching, dropping, and gently placing the leaves on the river's surface, the same as he.

To act was to learn, and he would not forbid such a thing.

"Are smaller trees weaker?" the same hair matted girl asked. Jack looked at her, the little one staring up at him with curious eyes, leaves in both of her hands.

"Weaker, yes," he responded honestly, knowing well the strength of nature required to even shake a giant of the woods. Homes were built in them. "But not always, not forever."

"Not forever?" she asked again. Jack smiled at her, looking up to see the tops of the trees that surrounded them. He was sure the child was as well.

They watched and leaves drifted down from the high forest top, like snow from clouds. The myriad of colors was captivating alone, but falling at once, the simplicity of the forest changed to a rainbow in motion.

The few vibrant greens that fell with their brethren, the bold orange that still had strength, the decayed auburn that knew the end was nigh, and _the sickly red of innocent blood that screamed for vengeance he had not delivered_.

Jack shook his head, hard. He looked back down, mouth a scowl and eyes narrowed.

Only to see the little one staring up at him again. Her arms were pulled to her body. She was afraid. Jack sighed deeply. A sound that carried in the muted forest.

"Little one, what is your name?" He knelt as he asked the question a second time today. He knew he'd be asking it five more. Each one would give an equally important answer.

"Adi," the young girl spoke, eyes focused on him.

"Adi," he repeated. "It is true that some of these trees are weaker than others. They do not have roots so deep or trunks so wide, but that is not because they are weak things."

Jack watched as the girl's mouth slowly opened, eyes never leaving his own. She was fixated on him, listening to his every word. The forest was muted around them.

"Everything in life becomes stronger with age," he started, holding up his hand. "We all begin weak, so that we must grow. And to grow, we must shed what holds us back." They were immortal words spoken from his father.

In a time when peace was abundant and aging was enjoyed, his father would often speak with him of the pacing of time. Shedding innocence for experience, trading wood for steel, and play for work. All to turn the weak into the strong.

"So the strong are strong forever?" Jack shook his head lightly before gazing down at the hair matted girl. His smile was too small to be seen through the thick of his beard.

"No, for nothing lasts forever." A truth his mother had taught him when they had happened across a forest giant, fallen to age and rot. "Nothing is forever, and change is eternal."

The little one only tilted her head at him, eyes scrunching in confusion. He felt his head bob with her, but his raising a brow over flexing his eyes. Ah, he had forgotten. She was a child. Therefore, with a childish mind.

He was speaking too deeply for the young ones.

"We can speak of it later," Jack rose slowly as he spoke. "For now, we are here to use the stream."

"To bathe?" Ashi asked, the spike haired little one. Jack nodded towards her, motioning towards the stream as he spoke.

"The water is cold, but it is clean." He knelt again, scooping a pool of the liquid into his palm. The lines of his skin were dulled through the liquid, but not a trace of sediment in the water. "And we will use it to clean your bodies."

He watched idea drift over the seven little ones.

One-by-one, they realized his words. They grabbed at the ash-covered skin, pushing at the coal that marred their bodies. Smudged the ash that clung to their skin. They looked from their dirty hands to his own.

He watched the children observe, silent and stoic. A little one he knew not the name to placed her hand in the water, slowing letting it push beneath the surface. The damp leaves drifted by her fragile limb, all without a mark to skin.

But the river slowly changed.

Jack watched as the charred coal wet itself on the river and fell away from the girl's arms. Like Aku's slithering dark magic, it left trials over the surface of the clean liquid, turning the clean and pristine water bleak.

But it was a good change, for the marring of the river barred the skin of the young girl.

She pulled her hand out of the water, staring at her own skin as if in shock. Her sisters crowded about her, all feeling the now porcelain colored hand. Their fingers slipped over the wet surface, but refusing to let their hands slide off.

They still spoke not a word, all still quiet as they observed. But their curiosity was apparent, and their knowledge growing from it.

Jack would not let such a thing fall away.

"Little ones," he spoke again, all seven pairs of eyes immediately looking upon him. He placed his hand back into the water. "That is to wash yourself. To clean the dirt from your body."

He was silent once more as the same girl looked at her hand then back to the river, her still dark and ash-covered limb feeling her now clean and damp one. Her sisters only continued to stare.

Leaves fell and crumbled around them as them as Jack waited for the children to move. Dead leaves falling to the earth, blanketing the ground for winter. He would not instruct the children to get in the water, not until they tested it themselves.

It was a good place to let the children learn, a forest in the calm of winter preparation. No animals large or fierce roamed in these times, no utter silence to confuse and alter the mind.

It was only the whistling of leaves, the tweeting of forgotten birds, and the swinging of leafless branches. This was the noise that surrounded them, the subtle and ambient music that turned roaming curiosities into tangible thoughts.

And now another girl, with hair that curled at the edges of her head, crawled towards the river. Her hands and feet cracked and broke the leaves beneath them, but her eyes, wide and focused, were on the river.

She stopped at its edge, facing looking upon the clear surface. Jack saw her reflection stare back at her, head tilting and eyes blinking in time with her.

Carefully, the child lowered her leg into the river, her toes slowly parting the water as it pierced the surface. Jack watched her face, watching as she treated the water as she had the darkness in the mountain. He could fault her not for a moment.

The bed was shallow though, evident by the water rising only to her hips. Far more than enough, but she still stood with raised arms and nervous glances. Jack waited by the side, never taking his eyes off her. Ignoring tothe forest, its giants, and the blanket of falling leaves.

The little one in the water was all that mattered.

Though, with a quick splash, it became two little ones.

The second of the children to enter had a mess of hair, the most untamed amongst her sisters. Her entry was far faster than that of her sister, and her eagerness showed across her face. That, and her decision to fall into the water.

The first child to enter, the bravest, froze at her sister's eager actions. But their siblings on the shore had their fears dissipated by their conjoined actions. Jack could see the trepidation give way to curiosity. That always led to action.

One-by-one, the same as the leaves that fell, the girls began to dip their dark-coated bodies into the water, letting the cool water of the stream push against the ash and soot that clung to their bodies.

"It's cold," one off the girls spoke. Ashi, as Jack recognized her. She was the most cautious of her siblings.

"But it's nice," her sister spoke, one without a name Jack could call.

"It feels _really_ nice." Another of the little ones added on. She was smiling with the words. They all were.

The greatest kind of infection, as he had found through his years. A smile given and a smile shared. The siblings each had one upon their features, grinning as they stepped further into the river's cool water, washing the taint of Aku from their skin.

He smiled at them all the same.

He smiled, standing to his tallest as they began to move across the river bed. It was impolite to impede on one's bathing, and Jack would not take what little the children had left in dignity.

His boots cracked the leaves as he walked away from the little ones, listening to the cool water of the stream splash as they washed away the stains of their past. It was a sound he wish would act the same upon his soul. But he knew better than to hope for the hopeless.

So instead, he settled under a forest giant, turning and sitting to face the girls some small distance away. Far enough to not impede on their privacy, but close enough to not risk harm upon them.

They were young and innocent, tortured for Aku's sake. The world was large, vast in comparison to the cavern they had likely forever called their home. Even the canopy of the forest's trees challenged the roofs of the mountains. And so little of the world did these two places show.

The little ones were just that, little. Their frames were small and limbs narrow. Even as they washed in the river, scrubbing away at the vile coal and ash that clung to their skin, he could see just how tiny they were.

Fragile, innocent, and naïve. A time in life when everything was supposed to be beautiful, and they had suffered the wrath of Aku's evil. Mothers that were not parents, family that were not compassionate, and even confusion towards kindness.

Jack sighed deeply, watching them carefully. They were the only sound in the forest that prepared for winter. Only the scarce tweet of a far-off bird filled the air.

He breathed deeply, feeling the air push against his beard. The children were his concern, and his concern required his attention.

They would need something to cover themselves when they left the water. The air was cold and their skin was bare, not to add in the water that now clung to their slowly cleaning skin. He did not carry clothing for children, but he did carry cloth.

He unlatched the back of his armor, the back of his do falling off. His tare came next, releasing his collar and exposing the thick fabric that lay beneath. His hand clenched the kobakama, feeling it crumple beneath this grip.

It was restrictive, hard, meant to soften blows from dull weaponry. It was far from comfortable, but wrapped around the skin, it was warm to wear. It was why the cold air hardly bothered him, but his comfort mattered little. It never had.

_You're a danger to them._

Jack twisted his head towards the voice, staring into the foliage of the woods. He saw nothing, nothing but tall trees, falling leaves, gnarled roots.

And his past.

A past with the eyes of Aku, the teeth of demons, and the grin of satisfaction. Satisfied to know it was right, in all that it said. Jack shut his eyes and turned away. The children were nearby.

_Is that what you intend to do when danger comes? Ignore it?_

He would not speak to the evil of his mind.

_How do you intend to protect them from you? Everyone dies around you. EVERYONE!_

Jack's breathing shook, his eyes closing until the muscles cramped. He would not heed a painful future.

_If you want to protect them, leave! You leave everything else, so why not them?!_

"Because they are children." He spoke resolutely.

Jack opened his eyes again. He saw the little ones continuing to wade in the water, pushing against their bodies with patches of water, washing away the vile remains of their upbringing. But aside from the forest entire, it was all he saw.

No reminders of his past, no truths of his mind. Nothing that did not already hang from his soul.

His eyes drifted back to the children in the water, watching them for a moment longer.

Into pairs and triplets, they stood in the stream, scrubbing off the ash that clung to their body. A process he could tell was working already working. The once clean and chilled water was slowly being stained by the darkness of Aku, of his work upon innocent lives.

Like the tendrils of darkness the Shogun of Sorrow used, the ash swam downstream from the little ones. Crumbled leaves were caught in its wake, falling beneath the surface of the water, and vanishing from sight. No sound was made at their passing. Jack gave them only passing notice.

His focus was only the little ones, now baring only the faint remainders of their past.

"Gah! Ah!" One of the little ones cried.

Jack did not hesitate.

He pounced to the river with the speed of a gazelle. Water splashed around him, destroying any calm the forest offered. The little ones were crawling to the shore, naked with the dark coal running from their skin.

Jack looked around with narrowed eyes, searching around the children for what could have threatened them. There were no wolves, no hunters, no hazards, nothing that would bring harm to any man or child.

So, he looked down, preparing for something he had missed, for an accident that had tried to harm the children.

Jack saw fish, a small school of them.

They were harmless fish, long and rainbow colored. The floated more than swam through the river's water, following the stream and moving effortlessly for it. They made not a sound above the river.

Jack stood tall as they swam around his legs, treating them like obstacles in their path. He watched them with narrowed eyes. They were harmless, or at least cautious. With the falling leaves and coming cold, they were likely seeking warmer waters.

Harmless fish, but so odd to see in a forest where snow was soon to settle. Yes, it was odd.

But not quite as odd as the children already on the shoreline.

Nude and covering one another in fright, their wide eyes stared at the fish as they swam through the rivers shallow waters. The same rainbow scaled fish disappearing into the inky blackness that trailed down the water's stream.

Wet and shivering, damp and cold, Jack knew inaction was not a choice at this time. He needed to dry them off, warm them up, and cover them for the night. There was one thing he could do to accomplish such a thing.

His eyes trailed back to the fish beneath him. They could help as well.

* * *

_Pop-pop_

The fire sounded in the dark forest, the only source of noise in the now still night. Embers danced as the wood crackled under the fire, spitting out and turning to smoke before they hit the ground.

It was the only light in the forest now, not even a pale moon too light the forest floor of leaves and twigs. Too high was the canopy and too thick the branches. Many leaves may have fallen, but not nearly enough to allow the stars or moon to shine through.

But the fire was bright, harsh, but bright. Warm and inviting. The air was cool in the day, and the loss of the sun did not help. But the burning wood and welcoming light were all the sweeter because of it.

The wood of fallen giants was easy to burn, especially in the dry of the coming winter. And the blanket of leaves made for easy kindling, plentiful, dry, and easy to burn. It was an easy task, one that Jack had done many times before.

He had made the same pillar of fire under forest giants, in endless plains, on snowy mountains, and beside the sea. And often he cooked upon said fire. Fire to warm and fire to burn. Now was no different.

The fire roasted a series of fish above the flames, piked and secured by grounded sticks on the fires sides. The fire cooked the fish slowly, but clearly.

The scales were beginning to harden and flake, the little flesh that could be seen darkening with the ash and flames. The fire crackled as it did its work, moving the heat from the wood to the core of the fish.

Jack focused on it, listening to the popping of air in the wood and peel of the scales on the fish. It was a quiet a night, quiet in a forest preparing for a long slumber. But the fire was resisting that change, a resistance he welcomed.

It was the only light in the forest, the only thing he and the seven little girls watched silently.

Seven girls that were clothed and dropped in the kobakama he once wore. It was torn to pieces, leaving him with only thin cloth beneath his heavy armor, but it was what he deserved to wear. He had muscles beneath and hair above his skin. The little ones had no such protection.

So the cloth was cut and threaded to rags of clothing, enough to cover the little ones, but little more than that. They were huddled together, the seven of them, all sitting near the inviting flame.

The fire danced across their eyes, reflecting around their tiny pupils. Heads so still and focused on the fire and fish, Jack could watch and count the embers from looking at their eyes.

Dry from the river, their played with their hair as the nestled together. Pulling out the collection of airs into a fine point, stretching them into two, matting it down, they all played with them in different ways. He could not yet tell all their names, but that would come in time. For now, they were quiet.

They were as quiet as the forest around them, quieter than the fire before them. Jack was no different, for there was little to be said. Food was being prepared, the fire was warming them, and nothing else mattered at the moment.

His eyes traced away from them for a moment, focusing instead on the darkness of the forest. No eyes glowed with the fire's light, no leaves crumbled under foreign footsteps away from camp. The forest was dead at night, preparation for the winter's lull.

Jack breathed slowly, watching his breath smoke, billow, and drift away in the night air. The cold air made the fish cook slower, which meant they had to wait longer. But, perhaps not much longer. It had already been sometime.

He reached out with his hand, pinching the crusted flesh of the fish experimentally. The scales flaked at his touch, peeling back to reveal the silver skin underneath. Rainbow scales fell and vanished into the flames of the cooking fire. He smiled.

They were ready.

Carefully, he removed one of the fish from the tongs of twigs, feeling the warmth of the bark even through the thick material of his gloves. It did not steam, however. The scales were insulating the heat.

He reached into the back of his haidate, pulling free a thin small knife. It was useless in battle. It was perfect for cooking.

Crossing his legs, Jack settled the fish on his lap, letting the warmth of the fish settle over the steel of his armor. It was crude, but it could be a cutting board, of sorts.

And so Jack set to work.

From fin to head, Jack moved his blade up the fish. The edge of the blade weaved into the looseness of the scales, curled by the fire. As it reached beneath, it forced up the hard material, releasing it from the fish's silvery skin.

Like dancing raindrops, the scales of the fish flew through the air and landed on crumbled leaves, vanishing from sight. The fire made the scales sparkle, the still air let them drift, and the silence made them a spectacle for the wide-eyed and curious.

Jack saw the little ones watching him, huddled together in rags and warming by the flames. They spoke not a word of discomfort, but neither were there thanks for relief. There were as silent as the air, or muted by the crackling fire.

It mattered only a little. There was food to prepare, and he would not allow the little ones to go a day without food.

"What are you doing?" Jack turned to see one of the little ones scooching towards him, dragging her knees across the dry leaves and dirt beneath. Her voice, as well as the leaves, were loud against the stillness of the night.

Jack looked back down to the fish, knife in hand and scales partially peeled away. The crisp material littered the ground, showing only the silver of the fish's skin.

"Preparing the fish," he spoke simply. Watching the young girl's eyes look from him to the trout in hand. Her gaze was wide and memorizing, tongue peaking out between clenched lips. Only the crackling of the fire filled the night.

"How?" How? Jack's brow rose slowly at the question.

Her sister had asked why. This little one asked how. A difference small, but noticeable. Noticeable as the two spikes that pointed up from her hair, drying in a manner he was not aware was possible.

But she had asked a question, and with a night as dark and quiet as this, it was the perfect time to instruct.

"What is your name?" He asked the young child. The girl had already moved to his side, sitting between him and the fire with eyes focused on his own. His, and the fish in hand.

"Ahi," she answered simply, voice far louder than the forest's still air. Jack nodded, committing the name to memory.

"Ahi," he spoke her name as well. "I am removing the scales from the fish with the blade of the knife." Jack showed as he spoke, damp blade glistening under the fire's light.

He caught Ahi staring at the blade. She, and the six other little ones across the fire's warmth. They hardly moved as he spoke.

"The scales are connected at only one point. I drag my knife against the scales, shedding them from the skin beneath." He demonstrated as he spoke, once more letting his knife glide over the fish's outer belly.

The scales either fell in clumps or flicked through the air before landing on crumbled forest leaves. There were far too many to count, like the leaves in the forest or rain in a storm.

"You drag the knife opposite, because the scales are grown to resist forces across them." And again, he showed on a patch of scales on the yet-to-be skinned fish. His knife moved from head to fin, skimming over the scales with hardly any effect.

"How come?" How again, but why in a different language. Jack nodded at her curiosity.

"Because the fish resists the water with its scales," he spoke as he ran his hand across the fish once more. "As with all things, it excels in tackling certain tasks. But to prepare it, I must skin it in a way it was not prepared for." As so many warriors did to others in times both old and new.

In the ways that he knew he was weak to.

"Are the scales bad?" Jack looked towards Ahi again, the girl staring more at the glistening bits of the fish that now littered the forest floor. They sparkled, even when cooked, under the fire's light.

"They are… difficult to eat," Jack explained, experience rich in this area. "And meals should be a thing of comfort, not effort." The hunt was another story, but to mix the two was to say the forest was the fire. One simply led to the other.

"Is the fish good to eat?" Jack smiled down at the little one, her question genuine. It was thankfully a question he needed no words to answer.

Instead, he sliced down the fish. The steel of his knife easily moving through the strips of the fish's muscle. Small pieces of meat were rolled off the trout, collecting on the flat of his blade. Darkly colored, steaming with eat, it was perfect to eat.

Gently, slowly, he offered the piece to Ahi. The fire crackled and popped behind them, the girl focusing her attention solely on the food offered to her. She did not take it, not quickly.

Her hand lifted and reached for the thin piece of slowly, eyes more on Jack than the food itself. He did not rush her, not offend her. This was a task she set to learn from. He would alter such a precious process.

Ahi lifted the trout meat slowly, letting the fire silhouette the piece of meat as she took it off of Jack's knife completely. Her eyes stared at it for a moment longer, as if unsure what to do with it. Jack knew not how the young ate before, but he was far to think he had to instruct her on such a thing.

The little one took a quick gulp of empty air, audible in the night's still air, the forest's calm. In the next breath, she placed the fish in her mouth, shutting her eyes as she puffed out her cheeks with the meat.

Jack let his brow rise, but little more.

Ahi, however, had her eyes widen in the next moment.

"It's yummy!" She declared proudly. Jack smiled till teeth showed between the strands of his beard.

"I am glad," he returned, letting the knife move through the fish and freeing more of the fillet. He handed it to Ahi, who took the second piece with little to no hesitation. She gobbled it down, excitedly.

Jack heard the crunching of leaves fighting the crackling of the fire. A small turn of his gaze showed the other girls crawling closer, eyes on their sibling greedily devouring the fish. It did not take a wise man to know what they wanted.

Jack took his Do and began to lay the fish fillets across the inner surface. The fire's light warmed the cool steel, casting inviting lights over the dark pink of the meat.

His hands had begun to work on the second of the fish when the other little ones summoned enough of their bravery to come forward. He recognized Ashi as the second to take some of the fish, eyes and lips smiling with joy as she tasted the meat.

Jack continued his chore of preparing the fish, letting the sounds of the popping fire and hungry girls fill the night air. It was a far better choice than cold silence.

It took little time for him to finished the fish, meat lined along the steel of his armor. Perhaps in a better condition, it could be mistaken for a chef's plate. For now, it was only his meager attempt at a meal using only what the forest would provide.

Jack pushed the knife away, hiding it from view of the hungry and rag-worn children. He had eaten all the little he needed to. The girls needed to eat now.

His back settled on a forest giant's trunk, letting his gaze fall on the girls and the fire behind them. There was nothing else to see in a forest blanketed by darkness.

Their tiny hands grabbed the filet of fish, squeezing the soft meat until it turned to mush in their hands. They wiped more than brought their hands to their faces, smearing the fish across their faces. Jack raised a brow at the messy display.

Manners would have to be taught in time. But not now, not in the darkness of the forest giants.

Jack watched silently as the seven little ones, tortured within a mountain of red, eat the fish taken from a river of blue. Even with mouths full and the darkness thick, their smiles were clear as the sun.

Smiles he did not witness inside of the shallow mountains, free of tears he bore such witness to.

They were freed from the darkness so far, no longer gowned in the taint of Aku. But they were not free. Too many curiosities they were meant to already know. Too many wonders that should be mundane.

They were young, little ones, and they had much more room to grow.

Jack sighed deeply, a sound carried through the stillness of the forest's dark blanket. The crackling fire filled the air, but was often interrupted by the girls chewing and eating. He sought to end neither.

In the deep of the night, there was nothing else to focus on. The forests giants, large and nigh inescapable, were hidden beneath the night's cloak. The animals that were fill the air now slumbered for winter's coming cold.

It was a still and peaceful night, with Jack watching little ones feast on a meal they had never had. Their bodies silhouetted by the fire, until only dark shadows dancing against the light remained. Dark shadows that crept across the _ground with tendrils long and deep._

Jack's breathing shook. His eyes widened as he watched the dark tendrils shift across the crumbled grass, reaching for the darkness of his armor, lead on by the sins of his soul.

_You will kill them, son!_

Jack swung his head up, staring at the little ones, at their shadows, at the melded being that bore down on him with a hateful gaze. A gaze cloaked in red and glowing with the taint of the future.

He stared at his father, a broken mess of limbs and blood.

"Father?"

_You will kill them! Like you killed US!_

_All of US!_

Jack swung his head fast enough for his beard to whip. He stared at the tendrils of shadows that crawled from the forest, that reached from the children. They all had faces, had eyes, had sorrow, had pain, had _his sins_.

_We're gone!_

_You let us die!_

_Why did you not save us!_

_Why have you forsaken us!_

_Help us!_

_Help me!_

And the voices grew as the fire burned, burned until it threatened to overtake the dark forest he sat in. And the taller it burned the darker the shadows became. The more truthful their scornful words.

Words that came from ruined lips, gazes from bloodshot eyes, cries from torn throats, sorrow from mangled limbs. They reached and grabbed at him, pulling him into the truth of his soul, forcing him to see the horror of his past.

"No. No! _No!_ " He shouted at them, pushing away the shadows that slipped through his armor, that racked at his beard. "I have not! I have not!" He lied with every word, proclaiming innocence he knew was lost.

_You have!_

_You have!_

_You have no regret for your sins!_

And the forest giants, cloaked in shadows, bent over his toppled form, letting eyes of red and flames of green fall about his character. Flames that threatened to swallow him, to turn his dark past into an apparent future.

_You were cowardly, my son! And I have DIED FOR YOUR COWARDICE!_

_Aku has won because you have failed!_

Jack stared back at the limbs of shadows, at the broken forms, only to see mother and father crying towards him, limbs mangled and twisted together like a demon's cruel toys. Toys that they were made to be because he could not act.

Because he was a failure as a samurai, because he was a failure to his people.

And then, from the flames, a new sight was birthed. A sight so terrible and true that it wrought the twigs to ash and turned the kindling to smoke. It was a sight that overtook the forest endless and left Jack with only a truth to stare at.

A truth, an omen, bathed in in the sickly green and gowned with the sins of his past.

It called to him in silence, offering him the freedom from his horrors.

**SPLASH** "Are you okay!? Are you pathetic?!"

Jack took a gulping breath as the fire turned to smoke, darkening the forest immediately.

His hands were gripping the grass beneath the leaves, turning the fallen tree petals caught in his grasp into crumbs. Wide eyes stared forward, seeing the outline of shapes in front of him, all without a sound.

Rising smoke, thick trees, and seven young children. Their eyes were visible and boring in the dark.

"Are you weak!? Are you okay!?" One of them was screaming, yelling at him. Jack felt her grabbing at his leg with tiny hands, her voice speaking in a rush.

Nothing else was heard by her worried cries, not even his deep gasps of air. No nightly creatures made a sound. No more fire burned to crackle and pop.

Jack focused on the hands, on the tiny yet strong grip that clung to him. It was real. It was concerned.

"I-I am… I am sorry," he apologized as swiftly as his voice could muster, lips shaking at the sight still bored into his mind. "I saw… something cruel."

"Are you okay?" Another child asked the same question.

"Are you hurt?" "Are you sick?" Jack turned to see a pair of eyes closer to him, the face belonging to them indistinguishable in the dark blanket of the forest. A blanket thrown so quickly his eyes protested with a watering gaze.

He could not see the little ones, not see the one grabbing and yelling at his well-being. But he could feel her weak grasp. Many, in fact.

He could feel hands no larger than his palm grabbing at his beard, his armor, his skin, the first parts of him they could grasp in the dark. They were holding him tightly, with a grip that could tame a stallion.

"I am… sorry," he spoke twice, turning his head in the dark, looking at the eyes that bore into him. Innocent eyes trapped in darkness. "I frightened you. I-"

"Are you scared?" Another of the children asked, and one that Jack could not see. He felt them grabbing at him still, clenching until he swore his armor would break. He did not forsake them.

It would be easy to tell a lie, a lie he was used to telling himself. A lie of the present to protect them from the sins of his past. He stared at their worried eyes in the endless dark of the forest. Swallowing to wet his throat he answered.

"… Yes," he answered. He would not lie to children. "I am… terrified."

_Whump_

Jack felt his body shift as one of the little ones pushed herself against him. Not a moment later did he feel arms wrapped about his frame. Not complete, hardly enough to be half-way, but with a strength a warrior would be impressed by.

A pair of eyes vanished as he felt the little one cling to him, holding him tightly with no sign of release. He had no idea or thought of what action, if any, to take.

_WhumpWhump_

The few ideas Jack may have had fled into the darkness as he felt two more of the little ones grab him. Their strength was as true as their sister.

_WhumpWhumpWhumpWhump_

And then the rest grabbed at him as well.

Seven little ones, seven girls tainted by Aku, grabbing at him as the hope in the darkness. He knew not the reason or action to take.

They latched onto him at his admittance to cowardice. If they knew the truth of his sins, they would flee into the dark, preferring the constant of the evil to his fearfulness and sorrow. It was a truth as clear as his sins.

But they were children who acted before thought, who stared without words. To act now would be to tell them to leave. He waited for a voice to confirm, for a ghost of his past to whisper the truth to his hear.

But none came.

None, save but for the small hiss of smoke that came from the doused fire. Silence in a forest of darkness. Peace in sorrow.

"Thank you," Jack spoke clearly as he could, voice shaky with breath uneven. "Thank you kindly, little ones."

Their monstrous grip strengthened. He was not concerned even a small amount.

Jack breathed deeply and slowly as the girls crowded about him, clinging to the hardness of his armor, savoring the little warmth his touch could provide. Against a forest giant's trunk, he rested his back. For the girls around him, he offered his arms.

He pulled lightly, possessively, at the little ones. Enough to encourage them to shift closer, to grab harder, at the little armor he wore. That little amount meant they were a little safer. Safer even with a killer like him.

A man, a disgraced warrior, such as himself.

One with no future. One with a cursed past. One with no hope. One with no _reason_.

It was who he was as a man, as honest and true as the forest in which he slept.

But the children were not that.

The children were innocents wrought with Aku's malice, tainted by his gaze, tortured by his hand. And he, Jack, was the one who had pulled them from it. And now, with tiny hands and smaller words, they clung to him.

They clung to him for the hope he didn't have, for the peace he could not win, and for the protection he had failed to ever secure. They looked for him for things he could not offer and he did not have.

But he clung to them all the same.

For they were offering him peace, though he knew they had none.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So writing tortured children is hard, because I at some points want them to jump out and attack Jack with PTSD syndrome, but then I realize that Ashi never did that even after her sisters were killed, swallowed by a monster, and then betraying her mother.


	3. Jack and the Hunters

Forty years had passed.

Forty years of loneliness, of solitude, of quiet and isolation. Years with days that had no noise and nights with no sight. Forty years since he held a responsibility he wished to keep. Forty years, and some odd days.

And now, forty years later, he was caring for the well-being of seven little ones. Girls, dressed in the rags of his armor and quiet as the still air.

They walked across a long plain of land, the tall grass of the earth swaying with their own weight. Rolling hills flowed around them, disappearing into blue horizon. Across the plain, only the sun and clouds high above moved of their own accord.

The grass moved to match the wind.

Like the reeling waves of the ocean, the blades of grass dipped and swayed. They whistled a gentle tune as the wind swept past them, turning the endless plain of green into a relaxing song. It was good that it was relaxing.

The little ones needed to relax. He and they had traversed through the forest for days.

He could recall rousing the children from their slumber, so terrified were they at having hands upon them he could do little more than merely speak the names they knew. They had awoken quickly, adopting positions he knew well, but stances he did not until years after their age.

They had continued to trek through the forest giants, listening to leaves crackle beneath their feet and the scratching of wood as the trees heeded to the wind high above. They had followed the river to fish, and he did so again as they trekked.

The same little ones who were so eager to help before continued to do so.

Ashi, sharp banged and single spiked child, was critical of her wounds and scars. Mars to her otherwise flawless skin, the unfortunate future for children raised in darkness. She thought of them as weak, hiding them quickly and silently. Jack saw, but said nothing.

Ahi, the daughter two spikes to her hair, watched as he prepared and filleted the fish. She mimicked his actions, attempting and failing to do as he did. It was the first step to becoming a master. Her questions were innocent and naïve, as were meant to come from a child.

Adi, the child with bowled hair and wide eyes, asked many questions whenever they stopped. She asked of why the fish swam with the water, why they were following the source of clear liquid, why the forest giants never fell, and where they were heading. He could answer all but the last.

For he could not answer a question he did not know the answer to.

They followed the river through the grand giants of the woods, watching as the giants turned hulks, then from hulks to new grown trees, finally reaching clearings where only the fragile saplings were tasked to grow. The river did much the same.

The river changed from the wide berth of chilly water, shrinking in width the further Jack and the little ones walked beside it. It became bearable to walk through it. It then became possible for him to lie over it. Soon the littles ones could as well.

Too many splits in the water path, too many changes to sustain itself. It tried to change too often, and now the stream offered nothing for the trees around them.

As the river turned to mere trickles of water, the forest giants, proud and tall, turned to saplings, short and meek.

But they kept walking. They kept moving.

The land was cruel and the future unkind. No goodness would come to the little ones to walk through the forest again, to endure the cold knights and hunt on fish that no longer came. No life existed in the woods otherwise, nothing Jack could depend on.

The bird he had seen was the last of its kind. No deer dared to trek in the quiet woods and no wolves wished to hunt in barren land. The fall chased away life, warning of the coming cold of winter. So, though winter would not fall in so short a time, it would be slowed either.

Now in a plain beyond the forest, surrounded by plains of grass on all sides, Jack moved forward with the little ones in tow. He walked through the plain, grass reaching his knees and tracing the metal of his armor. His boots lightly crunched the blades with each step he took, marking a line through the glade.

The little ones, in a single file line behind him, followed his path carefully through the blades. They had no need to, no requirement or request, but neither did they have a reason not to. They simply followed as they saw without question or complaint.

It was something Jack knew only time could cure. The cruel truth of time and its future.

The grass swayed with the wind, heeding the demand of nature that surrounded it. But just as the great forest giants shed their leaves for the coming cold, so too did the grass show signs of the changing seasons.

The would-be green blades, were tanned or gold, the vibrancy of life fleeting with the chill that crept through the air. A sign of life's age, its passing, disappearing into the cold as hope did into the future.

They would turn white with the snow that fell. White as _the barren end to his home after it was razed by the forces of Aku. Dead as the people he had abandoned in his foolish quest!_

Jack shook his head, dismissing the memories as best he could. The wind hid his grunts of annoyance, his position in front of the children hid his sins.

They had to keep moving, to find someplace to rest. The open lands they were in were prime to many dangers, dangerous enough for Jack to keep a sharp eye upon the rolling grass.

The whistling of the wind through the golden blades passed his ears, like the gentle lullaby that would so often be sung to little ones before they rested. He could see the rolling hills moving, the grass upon them bending and swaying in time to those near them. It truly was a sea of gold and grass.

Endless as Jack saw the plains to be, he knew it could not be. All things ended, all journeys ceased, and so he knew something lay at the end of the untouched plain. Be it the sea, another forest, or civilization remained to be seen.

He looked back at the little ones, continuing to follow him dutifully and without question. They tugged at the rags they wore, the remains of his under-armor. They were not comfortable, hardly broke the wind, chilling the little ones. There were no forest giants in the rolling hills and swaying grass. There was nothing to protect them from the chill of the air.

But they did not complain aloud, not even a whimper. Only uncomfortable tugs and glances to one another was all they did. Nothing more, nothing like a child.

Jack sighed lightly, a noise that was swallowed by a new breadth of the wind. At times such as these, he would continue on until he found a means to eat or place of rest. Be it days or weeks, he would not complain. But little ones were not so capable.

They were too young to be in the open in this way, too exposed to be expected to endure the lands. It was not on them to survive, but on him. And he knew there was more to be done than to feed and protect.

The day was early, but he was not sure how long the children could last. Jack had seen the monsters that had raised them, the cruelty placed upon them. To force them to move, no matter the reason, was cruelty.

He could not, and would not, be the same as the monsters of the shadows.

"What is that?" He heard one of the little ones, like Adi, asking.

Jack turned to her, seeing her hand held out and pointing upon the horizon. He turned to follow her hand, wondering what he had missed. His gaze fell to a spot of the horizon between two hills of the plains, the berth allowed from the angle they had walked from. It was small from a distance, an illusion that would vanish in time, but one that showed what the little one had seen.

The dark tip of a long spear.

It was another illusion, Jack knew, crafted by the distance from which they stood. Eyes narrowed, gazing upon the single spot of darkness, he suspected what it could be. It was not a familiar site, but neither was it knew. There were many dark objects in Aku's land.

But if it was what he suspected, the top of what he thought it could be, it may just as easily have been a haven for he and the little ones, or a trap. It was impossible to be certain, a fool's errand to judge.

"I believe I know," Jack spoke simply, to answer the little one. He nodded towards her, smiling as best he could through his beard and the wind. His gaze returned to the far-off point, feet already moving through the golden grass again towards it.

He heard the children follow close behind him, wind still blowing as he trekked through the field, cracking the blades as he walked. It was little effort to walk up the hill, one of many along the long plains, but one that hid from view the dark point behind it.

It took little time to ascend, and at the apex, he saw what he suspected.

A city.

A city made of spires of darkness, alight with flames and a matching red glow. It was where the blue of the horizon grayed into blackness and fell from view. It was too far away to see even a soul, but still from so far the monoliths of the city clung the ground as they reached for the sky.

It was a city like the many that scarred the world, born of Aku's malice and greed. Tall dark structures jutting from the earth, aiming to the sky with sharp tips and malicious intents. Where the forest giants stretched and brushed against the clouds and blue above, the monoliths and behemoths of the city scraped and scratched.

It was a hideous thing to behold, ungraceful and damning of the nature that surrounded it. The grass and forest trees gracefully welcomed the coming cold, nurtured the life within them. But city beneath was opposed to all things, fighting the nature it was built upon.

Opposed like the black spires that _held the heads of his family and friends, carried like trophies for all along the horizon to see. Blood dripping down and giving life the nest of monsters and darkness that nurtured off the death of the innocents._

_And it grew because he had done nothing and continued to do nothing! Because he would care more for seven children without homes or family than the people of his homeland that were suffering through torment and despair!_

That was what awaited in the city. More pain, more hopelessness, more _reminders of his unforgiveable past!_

And yet… it was the place of refuge Jack knew the little ones may need.

"What is that?" Jack shook the visions from his mind, seeing Adi standing on the hill next to him, alongside her sisters. The grass encroached upon them, stopping at their chests. Her hand was held out once more, the point of her curiosity clear.

Jack knew what it was, but not how to say it. His hand rubbed at the beard, pushing at the fibers until he held his chin in his palm. What words could a child hear of monsters and darkness that would not torment their minds?

"It is… a city," he spoke simply, an honest answer for an honest question. "And we may find clothing and comforter there." Perhaps one, but doubtfully the other.

"Clothing?" Another of the little ones asked. Jack looked towards her, farther than Adi and between Ashi and Ahi.

Her face was the same as her sisters, but her hair was longer, the longest. Even for a child, it fell to her shoulders and melded completely together. No stray bangs or curved spikes. Just long hair and wide curious eyes gazing up at him.

"Yes," Jack repeated looking down at the girl. "Clothing is… what you are wearing." At the mention of their current garments, the long-haired grabbed at her garb. It was only enough to cover the torso of her already lithe frame. Hardly enough in any circumstance. Not nearly enough for little ones preparing for the coming cold.

"Are you wearing clothes?" She asked now, pointing towards the metal on Jack's arms and torso. He watched her thin eyes trace his frame, staring at what he wore as if he had donned it for the first time. The wind was all that spoke during that time.

"Yes," he answered simply, simple answers for simple questions. "But the air is cooling, preparing for the coming winter." All sets of eyes turned to him, twisted heads and odd looks towards him. A few of their small heads bent in the same manner as the swaying grass.

"Do clothes help fight the cold?" Ashi asked, the girl with the sharp hair asking. "Are they strong?" It was an odd question to ask, but Jack knew the girl could not know the answer to. Not when her home was in a mountain of darkness, between walls of red rock and black shadows, with monsters befitting Aku's name.

"Some clothes, yes." Jack nodded, thinking of his own words as he did so.

The clothing would help fight the coming winter cold, to break the wind and warm the skin. The children did not have the endurance for the cold, they were not warriors befit for nature's force. They were little ones, meant to be protected by their elders, by him.

Jack did not wish to venture into the city, the mar of Aku's presence upon the land. It was a place that embodied all that he had fought, that was a monument to all that he had failed.

Darkness that swallowed light, greed that poisoned the souls of the just, a place void of joy, of contempt for the good and honest. Children were not meant to venture to such a place, to dwell in such forsaken realms.

Even now, staring at the dark city upon the horizon's edge, Jack could hear the deep rumble of contempt waft from the city, beckoning the corruption of those doomed to dwell within. It was the warning of the shadows to those without, the only rule of nature it attempted to mimic.

The chill of fall warned of the cold of winter. The rumble of the city cautioned of the evil within.

The forest giants and tall grass shed their vitality to prepare for winter's snow, to sleep through the long cold. It was a graceful act, beautiful to witness even in the darkness of Aku's world. The silent law of the land he could not rule. The city held no such beauty.

To prepare for the city, those within had to shed their honesty and hide their hearts, to endure the corruption of Aku's malice. There was no grace or awe. Only pity and malice. No future. No hope.

Jack had to endure the city, for the little ones he now cared for. Cared for like _the family he had abandoned to the talons of Aku's grasp, to be disemboweled and piked for the treachery of not heeding the demon's warnings._

He quickly shook his head, letting the whistling wind and bladed grass remind him of where he was.

"Let us go," Jack spoke to the children once more, all seven pairs of eyes turning towards him as he did. "It will take some time to reach the city." And it would, without a vehicle to ride or transportation to borrow.

His feet marched forward again, crushing the golden grass that seemed to darken with every step. Every step towards a treacherous mare on the land, dark as the sins of Aku's world. His footsteps made way for the girls behind him, following in step once more with him.

There was much he had to remember about the dark cities, Jack knew. Details he had witnessed and heard throughout his cursed time in Aku's world, history that he could not afford to repeat.

But Jack knew what was important, as he guided the children through the golden grass, as he approached the city of darkness and dread. He knew the simple fact he could not afford to forget.

The little ones needed him.

* * *

The trek within the city was far from silent, though not a word was spoken.

Jack could not recall a moment of silence in any city he had the misfortune of being in. No matter the time, day, season, or event, there was always more noise within the city than all parts of nature combined.

Yells and jeers filled the air of every street and corner. Angry words with harsh implications being thrown and tossed around as if they were fall leaves. Curses that would make a mother's heart turn and father's eyes burn being forced onto silent passerby's and the meek leftovers. The only words returned where the same in kind.

The curses and yells were drowned out here and there by sirens and horns blaring from every corner of the city. If not from the vehicles tall and wide enough to be confused for homes, then from buildings with broken windows and flickering lights.

They were sounds that echoed and carried through the maze of the city streets, coming from every angle and every height within the dark place's encroaching walls. The horns that came from the behemoth of vehicles on the main streets were just as loud and rumbled just if the horns that blew from the cars that flew high above

The sirens far off in the distance was too easily ignored, too easily thought secondly off. Sirens meant to call for help being ignored within a city vast and citizens numerous. Ignored like the words being thrown and the darkness creeping forth.

But it was of little wonder why they were ignored. To help another you needed hope. To help another you needed peace. And such was a commodity not offered in Aku's dark city, anywhere within his now forsaken land.

No peace could be had in a city where no solitude was present. Motion was too constant in unpredictable, a travesty to nature and to time. Shadows that loomed and swayed from vehicles high in the sky, lights that burned through day and night, monoliths that stood without changing seasons. None of it was naturally, and all of it was beckoning a dark god, the dark god.

The walls of the buildings were too high, the vehicles that drove and flew were too large, the sounds they all made too loud, none of it was fit for life to endure. No life that wished-for peace.

Perhaps that was why those that endured the city had either no life or seemingly mimicked it. It was fair that only those who had no life nor soul lived in a place that stole both. The mechanical bodies of robots that stomped down the street without care for those around them. Or alien forms that had more eyes than limbs and enough mass to swallow a bike.

They crowded and suffocated those around them, heedless and careless of who got in their way. They were in a greater variety of forms than the number of leaves on a tree. The color of their skin, the texture of their skin. The color of their eyes, the shape of their eyes. The high of their body, the _size_ of their bodies. Even with decades behind him, Jack knew he had not seen them all.

And now, in a city fashioned in Aku's liking, he walked through the mess of evil and darkness, towing seven little lives that deserved so much more than this dreary place.

His steps were slow and controlled, eyes focused on the bodies around him. The bodies that bumped into him, that attempted to roll over him, the loose hands he had to bat away, and the beggars that reached for his mane like a lifeline. He denied them all.

He denied them as sirens blared without answer, as horns coursed with yells of rage, as the high metal walls of the dark monoliths cast their shadows downward, and as only the red lights of the city's power shined downward.

Red like the walls of the mountain he had rescued the children from.

Jack had stolen them from a place of darkness and torment, only to bring them to the haven for those who dealt in such deeds. Beneath his messed beard, his lips turned in disgust at himself. Disgust at himself and for the sins he had let fester in this world of evil.

Streets packed with malice and corrupted life, but void of any compassion. Filled with vileness, but empty in hope. Hollow streets were all that remained. Hollow and empty like the vacant alleys that lined the thin sections between the dark monoliths of the city.

Just hollow streets aside tall buildings, filled with _dark and vast alleys that beckoned him with red eyes and fiery tears. Tears that reflected the dark red light of Aku's city upon every drop that burned the ground._

Jack ignored it the best he could.

_You brought this madness!_

He walked further ahead, turning neither head nor ear to the alley. It fell out of sight quickly, swallowed by the monolith it rested besides, vanishing behind the crowd that surrounded them. But another was fresh to approach, just as they passed the same tall dark building.

_This is all that remains of our home!_

Black claws spread from the new alleys shadow, encroaching upon the light, but fleeing at its touch. Jack narrowed his gaze, but did not stall his feet. He could not stall, though he could not run. He could only endure. Even as the next alley passed.

_We are the ones who bear your sins!_

His teeth grit, feet hammering forth. He could not run from his sins, no one could! But they were his! Even if… even if his people were… there was nothing he could do! It was Aku's fault! _Aku!_

_Yet you did nothing!_

**_Tug_ **

Jack stopped and turned at the small but noticeable force.

He came face to face with one of the little ones, gripping the small amount of fabric he had left. Her hair was tall and pointed, immediately telling Jack it was Ashi, the first of the children to have talked to him. The first to share words and concerns with him.

And now, she stared up at him her thin eyes and wide gaze.

"W… they could not follow." Her words came so quiet Jack nearly missed them, overburdened by unneeded sirens and horns around them. But even so, it was all she said. And the meaning of her words too quickly came to light.

Jack looked about her, amid the feet, hooves, tentacles, and pegs of metal that walked around her, he looked at the scarce amounts of sidewalk he could see, and the little of the red light that was cast downward.

And he saw only Ashi. He did not see any of the other girls.

Jack swiftly lifted her up, holding her to his chest. She was stiff as a as board, and just as quiet, but spoke no word of protest or distress that he could hear. It would be heedless if she had.

His eyes focused through the mess of the crowd, through the lifeless and the soulless, through the red and black of Aku's city. He searched for the little ones, the children wearing rags of his armor.

**There**.

Ahi and Adi were standing together next to a building, backs together and watching the crowd with terrified eyes. Jack wasted no time in reaching them, kneeling and scooping them up as swiftly as he could.

Stiff as the metal they were leaning against and far opposite the color, they were safe in his arms. Nestled aside Ashi, held like large fruits on a barren island, Jack kept looking.

He ignored the sounds, the sirens, the blares and horns. They were a distraction. The children were too small to make more noise than a city of the walking damned.

**There.**

Jack saw two more of the girls, one leading the other into an alley of _darkness that consumed the soul!_ His pace quickened.

The one leading had hair of horns and wild bangs to match. Her pace was quick, matching the robots and aliens far larger than her. She was leading the other little one, the one that had curiosities about clothes in the field, with hair smooth and long.

They were quick, but Jack was faster, faster and worried.

He reached them before they could vanish into the _evil pit of fiery eyes and dark memories_. The one being led grabbed onto him eagerly, wrapping her tiny arms about his leg. The other stared up at him, eyes wet and glistening the in the dark red light of the corrupted city.

Jack knelt, motioning with his head as he did so, eyes never leaving the frightened children. She looked at him, over his long mane and beard, before quickly moving behind him. She climbed his back as she would a wall, grasping at the tatters of his armor for support.

The other child, with long hair and curiosity for clothes, was far more careful with her movements. She climbed on his arm, close to her sisters nestled against his chest. She settled only when she sat upon his shoulder, arm wrapped about his head, hand clinging to his dark hair. He didn't care for his own discomfort.

He cared only for the last of the children, the little ones he did not have in his grasp.

His feet move as his eyes darted about, moving and stopping at a pace that left only scattered images to his mind. Crowded streets. Tall buildings. _Abyssal_ alleys. Packed streets.

**There.**

Jack saw two more of the girls, the last of the girls, neither's name he knew. One of messed hair and no pattern to it. The other with hair like hair like horns, no bangs below above her eyes.

Jack didn't blink as he approached them, for fear that they would vanish into the crowd once more.

The one with messed hair was standing in front of the other, arms held out and looking about without direction. The other with horns for hair was kneeling, picking at something Jack couldn't see. They were at the edge of the street, at the curb and barrier between the walking dead and metallic carriages.

Jack moved quickly towards them, feet stomping on the ground and careless for tentacles or hooves he trampled on. He ignored just as readily the shouts of dissent.

His vision became tunneled when he saw someone push the girls into the street.

A shout left his lips, unheard in the city of blaring horns and far-off sirens. It was a shout of denial, of rejection for what he knew would happen, what would come if nothing was done.

The crowd was parted by his body, pushing past them with a force he cared not to measure. The little ones in his arms clung to him tightly. He trusted their strength.

His foot landed in the street in front of the horned girl with a bangles forehead. Before she could look up at him, he pushed her back on to sidewalk, out of harm's path. He did it again to the girl of ruffled hair girl, though she jumped at the contact to his leg. He cared little as long as they were safe.

And they were.

Both of the little ones, the last of the children, were out of the path of the motorized vehicles, now only an obstacle for the cramped sidewalk to worry for.

Jack was quick to kneel down next to them, to look them in the eyes. The one who was leaning down in the street was clutching her hands to her chest, but stared up at Jack with a gaze that matched her sisters.

Without word or direction, the girl climbed his frame, crawling under his arm to grab at the armor that wrapped around his torso. Jack nodded as she climbed, turning his eyes to the last of the children.

The girl with ruffled hair looked at him, eyes narrowed in a way that was so opposite her sisters. Jack did not speak a word, not a shake of his head, but she wrapped her arms about his arm and climbed in the same way that her sister had, climbed in a way that put her on his shoulder.

Her arms did not wrap around his head or hair. She simply gripped the metal of his sode. It was an awkward position, but she was there.

They were all there.

The seven little ones were in his arms. Two upon each of his shoulders, two holding to the Do along his chest, and the final three nestled within his arms.

They were light, but heavy together. They were weak, but gripping with a force that didn't want to let go. That was good.

It was good that he had them again, good that they were not abandoned to the evil of the city, good that they were found… but it brought a new thought to Jack's tortured mind.

He had nearly lost them.

It was a cold fact that cast a frost across his back. He had nearly lost the little ones in a city of darkness, where they would have no chance to live. They were nearly taken from him, taken because he had let go.

It was another sin upon his mountain of failures, another reason he was the cause of the future he know moved through, a piece over the everlasting chain of damnation and regret. He was the reason the children were almost _swallowed by the city of_ …

No.

Jack stopped, shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth. He bared the weight of the children, clinging to his frame and waiting in his arms. He endured the people that moved around him. He could not endure another moment in his thoughts alone.

He couldn't afford to risk such thoughts now. His sins were worth his life, and his life would be given in payment, but not now. He would fall on his sword one day, letting the samurais of the past reclaim the soul that had failed in the oath he had sworn to uphold, but that day was not today.

Jack could not afford it, because today the children lived.

He could not falter until they were safe.

A slow breath left his lungs, unheard through the cacophony of Aku's corrupted city. Enough to calm his nerves, enough to steady his legs.

Jack stood tall again, ignoring the passerby's that knocked shoulders and bumped waists. He paid no mind to the dark buildings or loud cars. He paid only mind to the seven children he held and carried.

The seven most important reasons he had to find what he needed then leave the city.

They were all that mattered.

Jack continued to walk again, measured steps in a crowded dark city. His path was unknown even to him, but the destination he sought known in his mind. He need only find it.

He focused on the path ahead, not the road behind.

The road that carried a dark shadow… and a wolf's bloodied nose.

* * *

Jack walked for some time through the dark streets of Aku's city, ignoring the crowd of the lifeless and soulless, dismissing the horns and sirens, and playing ignorant to the yells and cries of attention. They amounted to little.

He continued to move his feet across the concrete blocks and over metal crates. He paid no mind to the darkening skies so high above, the dimming of the red lights so much closer, or the fatigue in his legs. They did not matter at all.

They were all meaningless things in comparison to the children he continued to carry. The little ones he had saved from a mountain of red death, of worship for dark monsters and darker arts.

It had been scarcely less than a week's time since then, seven rises and sets of the sun and moon.

And yet, he knew only a few of their names.

Adi, Ahi, and Ashi. The children he knew by name. Four distinct names for four distinct girls, sisters wearing similar garbs, similar eyes, but different hair. An odd trait to differentiate them by, but it was all that was clear right now.

Adi, an inquisitive youth who questioned all that he had shown. The forest giants, the clear waters, the endless plains, and the city they now journeyed through. Hers was a mind for the world around her.

Ahi was one who spoke only when food was shown. Wonders of the fish Jack had caught, curiosities for the plants he had picked. She studied him as he cooked, even as her sisters huddled and waited.

Ashi, the most dismissive of her state. Jack had watched the other little ones care for their wounds. Rub at them, nurture them, but Ashi did none of that. She endured in silence, dismissing his curiosities until asked directly. She had a warrior's mind, but already a damaged past.

But though Jack knew them, he knew little of their fellow sisters. A few traits, but hardly names.

Jack knew the one with ruffled hair, nesting on his shoulder, was one who challenged most the world around her. The first to enter the water, the last to follow directions. She was not one, he could tell, who would jump when asked.

Jack knew the girl with long hair, sitting upon his opposite shoulder, was interested in the rags she wore, and those of her sister. He had seen her adjust and play with the battle designed fabric, though he was sure it was for discomfort. That was one thing he hoped to fix.

Jack knew the child horns and bangs was taller than her sisters, in the same way the scabbard of a sword was longer than the blade. She at the most at meals and slept the longest at nights. There was little else for him to note, but even she was not the grandest mystery.

Jack knew the girl with horns in her hair and no bangs on her forehead was the quietest and most reserved of the little ones. She had asked not a word. She focused on no things. She did nothing Jack could say he understood. But she was only a child still.

They were all only children. And losing children in such a world was as unforgivable as his sinful past.

Jack would not, could not, bear the same trial twice. And so, he would do what he hadn't done before.

He continued to walk in the streets, continued to walk even as the crowds thinned to barren streets and lights faded into glows of red. He walked as the darkness of the city was overcome with an even darker night.

But he still kept walking, knowing what he needed to find. Perhaps though… he need not do it alone.

"… Little ones," he began to speak to the girls, feeling their attention turn to him at the words. "May you… assist me?"

He could feel their heads turning, so closer and in such direct contact with him. Thin eyes gazing at one another in confusion, looking to him for more to be told.

"With who?" Ashi asked. Who? It was an odd question to hear, not what. Perhaps they did not know. Perhaps or not, it did not matter.

They simply did not understand.

"Not who, no who." Jack clarified. "I am looking for a store." Their confusion did not seem to dwindle even with the clarifications. "It is… a place to buy new things."

"What things?" Another simple question. However, Jack now had a simple answer.

"I am… we are looking for a clothing store." His words were focused as he spoke. "Better items for you to wear."

"Clothes?" Avi asked, the child curious about fabrics and clothing. "Like those?" Jack looked at the child on his shoulder, seeing her arm pointing across the now darkened road.

A shop sat across the street, so far different and yet so at him in the vile city.

It was not made of dark metal or inglorious red lights. It was fashioned of concrete and brick, metal rods across the windows and about its frame.

It had no ominous glow or deadly gaze. It was muted in comparison to Aku's treacherous city.

But it did have a single sign above its doorway, one that showed exactly what Jack wanted to see.

_CLOTHS FOR MOTHS_

Jack did not understand the name. But he knew the details.

He understood the worn fabric that was 'lain' over the sign, a detail for art as he was once told. Jack understood the dress at the end of the sign, held up by wings, was meant to entice the eyes, though he did not understand its connection to the 'moths'.

All he cared now about was the cloths. The cloths in a store that was not emanating malice and distrust.

Jack had walked some distance to find a store such as this, one that didn't care the taint of Aku and was not burdened with the cacophony of the street.

It was long enough to feel as if the day had turned to night, but to tell such things in a city of crimson blackness was nigh impossible. And in truth, it mattered only a little. Only as much as the little ones cared.

The store for clothing was far from perfect, but closer to it than any other he had seen in the unforgiving city. So, it would do.

Jack stepped forward towards the shop, little ones following silently behind him.

_Ring-Ring_

The bell above the door rings as Jack steps through. His elbow pushing the swing door to the side. He shuffled in side-ways, carrying the little ones in his arms and over his back. He felt a small amount of relief to feel wood beneath his boots.

The shop was smaller than what he already believed it to be. A single room with a ceiling his raised hand could reach. Though it would be difficult with the little ones in his arms.

Though what Jack desired now was at hand. Clothes. There were several rows of clothes available.

Thin steel racks, so much lighter than the dark steel that lined the walls of Aku's tainted city. Thin pieces of metal holding up clothing that befit the dark city, but then just as easily holding articles that appeared so out of place.

Unlike many of the stores Jack had seen throughout the many vile cities dotting Aku's land, there was no pattern nor reason to the clothes he saw. Size, color, and even shape, all varied within the store.

But there were clothes, and he needed to provide for the little ones.

"May I help you?" A voice spoke to him, a voice to an owner he had not yet seen.

A small turn of his head, careful for the little ones still perched on his back and shoulders, let him gaze upon an elderly man. Doubtlessly the shopkeeper.

Shorter in stature, wrinkled in skin, but still possessing a smile Jack was sure the vile city would have stolen some time ago. Despite the later hour still, the man was in a store without another customer, looking at Jack with a careful gaze.

"… Yes," Jack spoke carefully. "I am… looking for clothing." The little one on his shoulder perked at the word, her grip on his hair becoming stronger. It was evident to Jack, at least.

The old man gazed at him, his thin eyes, surrounded by tells of his age. The gaze shifted between Jack's own and those of the seven little ones perched variously around his body.

A slow smile drew itself on the man's lips.

"I suppose I can guess why you need them." His voice slowly let out. A hand bearing the age of the shopkeeper extended to his humble store. "Please, feel free to browse what I have."

"Thank you for your kindness," Jack returned respectfully, bowing his head the little he could without fear of the little ones falling. He did not want them to fall… but they did have to walk now.

Kneeling, Jack let the little ones in his arms find their footing, each spreading out like leaves dropped into a pond. The two on his back crawled down the remains of his armor. And, in time with them, the two on his shoulders jumped off to the floor.

The little still pooled around him, wide eyes peering about the store so different than any place Jack believed they had seen. It was not a mountain interior, not a forest deep, and not a vile city. It was a humble shop with a humble owner.

"Go on," Jack encouraged them, still on bended knee. "Find something you like." The little ones looked back at him, a few of their heads swiveling back and forth about the store. As he expected, not a word was shared between them.

Instead, in pairs, they journeyed into the small space, moving about the metal racks and staring at the stacked clothing. Ashi and the wild-haired little one together, Adi and Ahi side-by-side, and the little ones with horns of hair.

But one of them did not venture into the store.

Oddly to Jack, the little one who had seemed the most excited by the idea of clothing.

The child with the longest hair stayed by Jack's side, her eyes staring imploringly at the store, but hand gripped tight to Jack's own tattered clothing. He was not sure what action to take.

If she did not seek out the store, he would have to find something for her. But if she did not like it, he would be doing the little one little justice. But more than most else, he was not sure how to act in such an alien situation.

How did he encourage one to pursue what excited them?

"Overwhelmed?" The shopkeeper asked, stealing Jack's attention. He looked at the elderly man, who had his own eyes on the little one at his side. "I see a lot of little girls come into this store, nervous and waiting for permission on what to take and see."

Jack listened to his words, imagining the children so misfortune to live within Aku's vile city. But similarly, so fortuned that a man such as this was welcoming to them.

Welcoming in words, in smile, and humility. Warm and inviting.

"So many of them are so overwhelmed… they have to wait just to know what they want." The elderly shopkeeper stepped around the counter he was at, walking towards Jack and the little one by his leg.

Jack could feel the long-haired child grip his cloth a bit tighter, stepping closer to him all the same. He could not hear the other little ones speak, only glance to ensure they were still about the store.

"And I can tell you are… much the same… very much so. I am sure you would care greatly for what you wear… between a dress, a skirt, or a blouse as well." Jack felt his face scrunch up, beard scratching at his skin. He believed a few of those were synonyms.

But a small glance downwards showed the little one's wide eyes were far from unnerved. If anything, the words a spell she had sought to hear all her life. It the only manner in which Jack could describe the blissful expression across her young face.

He felt it trickle over the vileness of his sins.

"Oho, a curious one, aren't you?" The old shopkeeper, short as he was, bent down to reach eye level with the young one. He had sincerity in his eyes, Jack could tell. He had lost such a thing in his own.

He felt the little one grab at his legs, hiding behind him as the old man kept gaze on him. Jack did nothing, as there was little he could do.

"No need to be shy. I'm far too old to be dangerous." Even his laughter was slow to come out, as if each chuckle required his own breath. Still, the little one with long hair and neat upkeep did not move. "But I can tell you have an interest in clothes."

The shopkeeper, instead of speaking more, merely held out a small piece of ribbon. Forked on both ends, colored red, it was very simple.

Jack felt the little one look closely at it, head leaning out from behind his leg, hesitant steps being taken. The old man was patient, neither pushing nor encouraging her further.

Her sisters watched on the same as Jack, all silent as the little one moved towards the ribbon. Jack was nervous only for the shopkeeper. He would not let anything happen to the little ones.

Slowly, as if watching the leaves on a tree turn color, the little reached out for the ribbon, tiny hand gripping the fabric. The old man still did nothing more than smile and wait.

And, with that patience, Jack watched the little one grab the ribbon, holding it up to examine.

"It's a nice ribbon, isn't it?" The man asked, eyes on the little one. "Do you know what a ribbon is for?"

The little one shook her head, her long hair moving with the motion. Jack said nothing. Lessons were to be learned, not told.

Jack stole a glance to the six other little ones, watching the wild-haired child and Ashi grabbing at a gown that was thrice their height and as wide as they were tall. The other simple continued to walk and stare.

"A ribbon is decorative." Jack turned to see the old man holding the ribbon in both hands now, wrinkled thin fingers twisting the fabric as he spoke. "When it is tied properly… it can be the centerpiece of an outfit, showing just how simple… yet beautiful, the wearer is."

He finished his words with the ribbon tied, a simple bow now around his fingers. The loop for which was held up by opposite hands, presenting the thin and well-tied fabric to the little one behind Jack's leg.

With the object presented to her, she tentatively reached out for it, hand grazing at the billowy fabric. Her hand tentatively rolled about the loops and curves, as if she were grasping a fragile flower from the woods.

"Go on," the shopkeeper encouraged. "I am sure it will be… very suiting for you." The little one looked at the elderly man, hands freezing at his words.

But as her gaze fell back to the ribbon, she carefully pulled it off his aged fingers. She pulled until it was grasped in her own hand, the large loop beneath the tied bow grasped tightly in her tiny palms.

"A ribbon can make… simple things look grand," the shopkeeper continued. "But it can also… keep fragile things together." Of that, Jack understood. It was like a bandage, though not made of material that would hold a wound in place.

Or, for a small child, her long hair.

Jack took to his knee again, his larger hands gently taking the bow from the little one. She did so after a moment of hesitance, eyes on Jack. Or, more appropriately, the tied bow he had taken from her.

"Please hold a moment," he instructed carefully, hand gently lifting her long hair. Her posture stiffened at the touch, but carefully, he continued. He continued by lifting her longer hair and feeding it through the loop of the bow.

He continued the motion, feeding and leading her long dark strands through the thin and tied material. He continued until the bow was taught and her hair held high.

Jack stopped when the little one sported a new ponytail, held up by the shopkeepers bow.

"I was right… that does suit you," the elderly man said. Jack could agree. If not for the appeal in appearance, then for the shimmering smile the young girl wore.

It was worth staying in a vile city to see.

"What is your name… if I can ask?" The shopkeeper continued, thin eyes on the little one.

"… Avi," the little one spoke. It was a name Jack committed to memory. The man smiled and nodded at her simple word, content with what he heard.

"Thank you for the ribbon, kind sir," Jack bowed his head once more, thanking the man with words and action. His eyes caught Avi staring at him, before turning and mimicking the action. Her now ponytail waved with the action.

"It is nothing…" the old man dismissed, crimpled hand waving like a stiff flag. "Please, feel free to look for clothes that suit you… little Avi." The little one nodded, turning and moving into the store with a vigor Jack had not seen her sisters share.

How odd it was, to see a child so eager to do something so new.

Jack stood to his tallest as he took note of the little ones in the small but humble shop, ensuring no actions were being taken that were inappropriate. Aside from their continued silence, he saw none.

"They are precious… are they not?" The shopkeeper questioned, eyes upon Jack now. Jack nodded in agreement, standing to his tallest once more, once more towering over the elderly man.

"Yes, and you are excellent at speaking to them," Jack noted to the old shopkeeper. The old man nodded, eyes shutting for a bit longer than a blink as he did so.

"I believe I am. One of the few benefits to old age." Jack was sure he was older than this man, yet he had no such skills. "It does help that the sister from the orphanage comes here often with her little ones."

Jack blinked, looking at the old man. An orphanage? In this city of darkness and Aku's taint. The idea of one existing, surviving, was nigh an impossibility.

And yet, he had no reason to doubts the words of the kind soul before him. If the children, so corrupt and harmed by the shadows of the mountain, were able to smile as Avi had, then a brave woman of the cloth could raise children in a city just as vile.

"Young man, you look familiar," the shopkeeper approached closer to Jack, looking up at him with a squint to his eyes. Jack frowned beneath his beard. "Have I seen you before?"

"I… do not know." In truth, Jack did not. It had been many years since he had seen those whose lives he had scorned. "Perhaps I have a… familiar face?" Jack rubbed his hand down his haired chin as he did so.

The old shopkeeper nodded slowly, eyes shutting as if in thought.

"Likely true, very likely." He noted with small breaths. "It does not help that my eyes are beginning to fail me. Even your children all have the same face." Jack blinked, looking at the little ones about the store.

Only Avi was searching the clothes with interest, tiny hands grabbing at the different fabrics, studying them with an intensity a scholar would envy. The others were in pairs together, never drifting far between the faux isles, but still speaking hardly a word.

But they did have the same face. Only different hair about them.

"They do," Jack noted in return, eyes not leaving the girls. "I believe they… were born at the same time."

A soft silence followed his words, long enough for Jack to turn and look at the shopkeeper again. The old man had wide eyes on the girls, wrinkled skin folding as he blinked.

"Their poor mother…" the old man spoke listlessly. Jack frowned at the statement.

There were many things Jack felt for the mother of the children, but sorrow was not among them. Human though they were, they had forgone their strength for darkness. It was his duty now to ensure the same did not happen to the children.

And for that, he needed new clothes. Rags would not befit the little ones for any longer.

"Well, I see little Avi is… eager," Jack looked at the little one as well, seeing her compare the different clothes against one another, pulling at the angers until the metal clinked together.

The smile was still vibrant upon her face. It allowed a smaller one to crawl over Jack's own.

He watched them, all of them, for some time. He watched the little ones busy themselves around the shop, teaching each other as they explored the humble store.

He watched to ensure they did not damage what was not theirs, and that they understood what they were gazing upon. Simple clothes, simple fabrics, but all so much better than the rags they wore.

Before they left the store, he would ensure they had something to wear.

"Thank you once more for your help," Jack spoke to the shopkeeper, his eyes still on the children. "I… may need your assistance in deciding what they should wear."

"Hmm… that should be no issue," the elderly man spoke. "I am sure we can find something for them to wear. After all… it would be inappropriate to leave the littles ones… so unkempt." Of that, Jack had full agreement.

_Ring-Ring_

Jack heard the bell of the store ring, seeing the shopkeeper turn to greet his new customers. He did the same.

And then he fell into a crouch.

The new arrivals were not humble customers. They were not shoppers. They were not anything that was meant to be in such a humble and simple store.

They were wolves. Wolves in black leather, with sharp teeth, with razor claws, and feral grins. Wolves with ears tall and sharp and rows of teeth to match. Wolves in numbers that would have them rule the woods. Or… a part of Aku's vile city.

They were wolves that struggled through the door of the store, with frames taller than Jack at his tallest. They were holding tools in their paws.

Some had masks that made them look like demons of the shadows. Some had metal adorned about their body. Some had drool dripping from the edges of their maws.

But they were all staring forward with wide and savage eyes.

They were eyeing the little ones behind Jack.

"Hey. Hope ya don't mind the late hour." One of them spoke, the one in front, the one that had gray fur and a scar about his ears. "Just saw somethin' we liked and thought we'd drop in… for a _bite_."

Chuckles and cackles followed in the numbers behind him, numbers in wolves that continued to grow, as if spawned by the shadows of Aku's corrupt land. They likely were, and continued to be.

Jack grasped at nothing at his back, reaching for nothing at his waist. Everything was lost to the mountain and the woman of dark shadows. Everything was left so he could take the children.

But the wolves did not lack in tools, just as they were not short on malice.

"I-I-I have… have… nothing here!" The old man hastily spoke, his short breath doing no favors to his panicked speech. Jack could tell without sight the man was ill-prepared.

"Heh, we ain't here for rotting meat," the wolf spoke again, bestial eyes narrowed at the elderly man. "We're in ta the prime cuts and fresh flesh!" His claw waved at Jack, behind Jack, at the little ones, to all the little ones.

Jack could feel them behind him, all abandoning the clothes they were gazing at to reach him. That was good. That was the only thing that was good.

With a scowl hidden by the depths of his beard, Jack kept his narrowed eyes on the wolves still, looking for any and all ways to leave the store, or dispose of the foul beasts. But none were obvious.

There was a single door guarded by a growing row of wolves. There were no exits that he could take the children and flee to. He had no weapons to reduce their growing number.

The situation was bad, and becoming worse.

"Please kind… kind… kind sirs, just…" Jack heard the man fumble for words, his speech too rushed and situation too tense. "Allow me… allow…"

"I was tryin' to give ya a hint to move, rot flesh," the wolf spoke again, stepping towards the elderly shopkeeper. "But I guess you'll need an of how!"

The gray wolf reached forward, paw easily gripping and lifting the elderly man.

Jack just as easily gripped the wolf's wrist and elbow, twisting them both with a single push.

_CRACK_

"YAAAAGH! AGGH!" The wolf howled as he released the man, steeping away and grasping at his now broken limb. A limb that swung unnaturally at its break.

Jack stepped away from the group at the action, watching as they bared their weapons and snarled at their prey. Maws yapped and braked at him, slobber and spit flying about the entrance of the once humble store.

A fight was coming, and he was not ready.

"Children!" He yelled behind him, hoping to whichever deity watched their lives to do its duty. "Hide yourselves!"

To the wolves, it was the call to strike.

"Kill him!" The injured gray wolf howled, his only good arm pointing a vicious claw at Jack.

They descended upon him like the wave of the ocean. A desire to swallow and consume him complete, to leave not a trace of the Samurai behind.

But he was a rock through time and season. The demands of an ocean, of any weight, meant nothing to him. Not when he swore to break the forces that threatened the little ones.

A wolf pounced at him with maw open and razor teeth seeking flesh. Jack dipped to the creature's left, grasping at his outstretched arm and pivoting on his heel. The beast swung and slammed into a tray of clothes, knocking him and the articles over.

Jack jumped at the impact, dodging another of the leather clad wolves. The beast flew beneath him as Jack hung in the air above, but only for a moment. Just as quickly, he outstretched his legs, using the force of his descent to crack the wolf's head. A yip of pain was all he heard.

He bent left, right, over the fallen beast, dodging the claws that swung through the air as his blade did long ago.

_CHINK_!

Jack snarled through the thick of his beard as a metallic tool beat off a piece of his armor, sending the metal into shards along some far wall. He quickly slammed an open palm into the attacking arm, dislodging the tool from its owner.

"Take him down! Kill tha' guy!"

And the wolves headed their leader's call.

Jack picked up the discarded weapon, holding it as the wolves began to descend.

He kicked upwards with his foot, planting the base of his boot on the jaw of a beast. He rolled with the momentum of the creature, throwing it over his head and into a cart of clothes.

He swung out with the jaded weapon he had acquired, feeling it ring as it connected with one of another's beast's tools. Sparks flew, so he struck again. Sparks continued, so he struck again. He sliced at fingers, and the howl of pain followed.

Jack raised his arm as he felt another blow coming, but was stuck when the attack was not a blow, but a grab. A grab that had one of the large paws of a leather clad wolf grabbing at his much smaller arm.

His momentum was rocked and thrown to disarray as he was thrown into a wall of the once humble store, wood splintering behind him and denting his already ruined armor. Clothes fell from their shelves and the lights flickered with the force.

But it was no time to rest.

When gravity returned Jack to the ground, he took off in a sprint again, gritting his teeth behind his thick beard, raising his tool upwards for a mighty strike.

He swung down with the force and speed accumulated through years in a vile land, striking at a wolf in the growing pack.

_TWANG_

The steel tool shattered at the impact, as did the guard the wolf wore. Sparks flew at the sight of the impact, reflecting off his narrow eyes, eyes focused on the wolves that hurried about him and the store.

They were not stopping, so he could not either.

"YAGH!" Jack yelled as he spun his body, delivering a hard kick to the beast's gut. The maw of the wolf lurched at the force, sending him flying backwards into his compatriots. The hole he had created was quickly filled, however, with angrier and larger numbers.

But Jack was not done.

His fist struck out at another feral beast approaching him from behind, striking at the crux of the raise arm and rendering it useless. Just as quickly, he grabbed at the leather collar of the beast, falling back until the beast fell with him.

His feet pivoted, turning his fall into a spin and continuing the grasp the beast. It made the monster a weapon, one that he released towards the ever-growing crowd of his fellow wolves.

But Jack was not done.

He ducked and swayed two blows from two different beasts, taking a third blow to his leg he could not avoid. A grimace of pain, hidden by the thick of his beard, was all that he showed.

He lifted his leg up quickly, letting it slam into the sensitive space between the wolf's legs. A yip of pain and tears of fury were nothing to Jack, not when he grabbed the wolves head with both hands and slammed his knee into the beast's elongated maw.

He threw fist and foot at the other two beasts, flipping through air with the training of decades in a tainted land. The monsters took the blows without guard and flew into rails of clothing because of it, sending the humble apparel into messy heaps.

But Jack was not done.

He landed on hands and knees, shooting forward to avoid the slamming of some heavy tool another wolf held. It splintered the floor where he stood, sending chips and slivers through the air, entangling them in Jack's mane and beard.

But he was quick to leap backward, jumping onto the tool the wolf had used and rushing up the creature's hairy arm. A quick backhand slammed into the beast, dislodging the tool from his grasp. That was good.

Jack flipped over the handle and the falling beast, grasping it in his hands mid-twist. It was heavy, hard to pull, but that meant it would hurt to strike. That was all he needed.

His feet hit the splintered wood of the store's floor and immediately fell further into a duck, avoiding the reach of another wolf's claws. Jack twisted with his motion, pushing with one foot and pivoting with the other.

It raised the club from the floor, sending it into the beast that had attempted to harm him.

It struck with the force of a car, splintering and shattering the little armor the wolf wore, before sending him through the crowd of wolves and one of the shops few windows beside its only entrance.

But Jack was not done.

Narrowed eyes tracked feral gazes, counting the beasts that had stormed the store.

Monsters in flesh and metal, fools of mind and soul, darlings of Aku's dark regime. Jack knew no mercy for them.

"The hell is this guy?!" One of the wolves shouted.

"A freakin' beast! He's a monster!"

"Those kids ain't worth it!"

"That's it! Amscrate dogs!" A leader of some sort shouted above the others.

And like a drawing tide, the wolves began to fly.

Jack held his position, knees bent and club in hand as they departed the store in rapid number. They jumped through the broken window, plowing through the too-thin door, and doing all they could to avoid the former samurai.

They left the damage of their deeds behind. Their paws tripping over the discarded tools and knocked over railings, ripping at the fabrics and clothes that now lined the floor, destroying what little humility and grace the store had left.

But they were gone, gone as quickly as they had come.

And when they had all departed, Jack knew he was done.

A slow breath of relief came from him, the battle now done and his health no worse than before. A stray mark upon his leg, damage to his already ruined Do, but little more than that.

His eyes shut for a moment, focusing his mind and finding the poor amount of balance his soul still had, the fine point the taint of his sins had not yet grasped.

"Children, it safe," Jack spoke to the store, awaiting the little ones to come out from their hiding. It would do little good to find clothes in this store now, but finding a new store was far simpler than returning life.

And yet, he heard nothing.

No clothes or fabrics billowed with movement, no tiny legs beating across splintered wood, no moving metal from crumpled hiding places, nothing.

Jack felt dread.

"Little ones… little ones!" Jack called for the children in the now broken store, the now destroyed shambles of a once humble abode. The silence returned his call.

His body felt cold.

"Little ones! Ashi! Avi!" He called the names he knew, called to them as he feet quickly beat across the broken wood floors, searching across the strewn clothing and unconscious wolves.

He could not find them.

"Adi! Ahi!" He called again, throwing the clothes about as searched. His hearing dulled as he hurried about the store.

They were not in the clothes. They were not in the alcoves. They were not beneath the bodies. They were nowhere.

The children were gone.

And if they were not in the store, there remained only a single place for them to be. It was the place Jack could not image them to be alone.

The children were gone into the city.

The children were gone into the city at night with monsters at their heels.

And he had let it happen.

He had lost the little ones once more. He had lost them! He had lost them!

_You lost them!_

Jack whirled back into the shop, seeing the strewn clothing, broken frames, and _twisted corpses beneath bloodied rubble. Decayed and torn skin framing wide and bloodless eyes, staring at him, amounting to his sins!_

_You lost them again!_

_Like you lost us!_

_You failed them!_

_You failed again!_

Accusations upon words spilled out and filled the room, every eye staring at him, detailing the sins he had failed to prevent, at the atrocities he had just allowed. The children were gone and he had not done enough!

"No! I-I tried!"

_You never tried!_

_You failed to even try!_

_You failed in all that you swear to protect!_

"No! No!" Jack screamed again. They were safe for now! They had gotten away from the wolves! He could… He could!

_You will never find them!_

_You will lose them, and they will be lost the same sins you created!_

The _twisted and mangled bodies_ atop the pile of strewn clothes accused him without rest, their incessant strengthened by the truth of what he saw. The truth of all his failures.

And his eyes fell to the lone shop-keeper, the elder whom had offered his store to a man and little ones in a city of evil.

An old man that no longer spoke and no longer moved. An elderly shopkeeper Jack _had failed_.

The elder now broken in the corner of his store, abandoned as the souls Jack had failed to save. Already near as forgotten as the past he never returned to.

The old man… beneath an ominous figure of green.

A green omen with horns as twisted as Jack soul. With a glare as piercing as his failures. With a steed that he could not outrun.

With a future Jack could not accept.

"GaaaaAAAAAAAA **AAAAAAAHHHHHH!** "

* * *

Their feet beat across the hard ground, as fast as they were capable of. Their arms swung to quicken their bodies, bodies leaned forward to quicken their feet, and breath taken in gulps to ease their lungs.

They did all of this as they fled into the darkness. Darkness stained red.

Red lights and alarms that blared from dark structures, things too smooth and too dark to be mountains or trees. Everything too cold to be what the samurai had shown them.

Nothing was what they were used to. Nothing was familiar. So, they continued to run.

Seven pairs of feet, bare and unprotected, slapping across the hard and uncared-for ground. The slipped through legs that didn't bother to stop, dodged gazes that lingered too long, and never stopped moving.

It was as they were taught, it was as their mother had spoken. Aku's world demanded submission from the weak. The strong took from them. And right now, they were weak. They never had the chance to be strong.

So, they continued to run.

Howling was behind them, screams and yells like the sounds of the night. The same sounds that the samurai heard when he pulled them closer. The same things that had attacked the store and destroyed the clothes.

The same monsters that were attacking the samurai. If the samurai, a foe not even the great Aku could best, was fighting them, they could not stand a chance.

"Faster!" Ashi yelled to her siblings, not belaying her own speed as she ran. She had to lead them, she had to show to go first. She wasn't weak, and she wouldn't let herself be beaten until she was strong.

Her sisters obeyed her, following the one their mother demanded the most of. If anyone would know best what to do, it would be her. Adi understood that.

She understood that Ashi was the strongest fighter, the one their mother and her sisters took the longest to beat, and spent the longest beating. She knew because she was the first to trust the Samurai, and the first to embrace him as well.

It didn't matter the sirens that blared through the air, the sounds that tore at their ears harsher than any sound in the mountain or forest. It didn't matter because the howling and barking was ever present. Ever present and ever closer.

Avi pushed her hands to her ears, pushing on them until they were flush with her skull. The ends of the ribbon the nice man had given her beat against her skin as they ran, whipping like the cloths in the mountain air.

But she could still hear the barking. It was getting closer, no matter how many turns they took or crowds they ran through. The barking was getting closer.

"In here!" Ashi yelled again, pointing towards an alley. They didn't hesitate to follow. Six bodies ran into the alley, one after the other, hiding in the dark and narrow corridor. Ashi soon made seven.

There were no red lights to brighten the dark walls, nothing to show the young ones what existed in the ominous passage. It was a long dark hall with an entrance, but without an end.

"Hide!" Ashi yelled once more, running into the dark. Her siblings followed a moment, the barking getting louder.

They grabbed at spare chunks of metal, at thrown garbage and wasted material. They buried themselves in them, hid in them, making themselves small as possible.

It was as they acted in the early mornings within the mountain, doing what they could to hide from their mother and her sisters. A fruitless act, a waste act, but one that gave them time.

Seven bodies hid as they had trained themselves to do, sitting and waiting beneath trash, dark metal, and darker shadows.

Red lines made from red light highlighted the darkened path, but they showed no exit for the children, no escape from the coming trouble. The tearing, the barking, the threatening violence.

They were in the mountain again, only now their mother was not there to teach. Neither was there the Samurai to save. It was only them, the seven sisters who were weak. They were the weak training to be strong.

It was the training that allowed them to force away the sirens and horns, to remove the distractions that didn't matter. The only things that mattered were the strong, and the strong chased the weak. So, they focused on the sounds of the approaching strong.

Buried in trash, huddled beneath metal and steel, they hear the barking, the clawing, the chasing beasts, the strong.

Ahi nestled herself closer to her sister, gripping her arm as the sounds became louder. Ami looked around in the darkness, for any tool she could use or make to help. Adi could not think of an escape in the dark alley, the same way she could not think of an escape from their mother in the mountain.

They needed the Samurai, but the Samurai was not here.

**_BANG!_ **

The young one did not jump at the sudden noise, but they did give it their full attention. It would be impossible not to.

Not when it flooded the dark alley with a bright light.

"Hurry! In here!" They heard the voice before the saw the figure. A figure that was haloed by the light around her.

A tall woman with an unseen face, garbed in black, and looking for them. Just like their mother in the mountain.

Did she also have eyes of red, was she searching for them like the beasts? Then she had found them. Then the children were caught in dark alley, stuck to decide between the coming beasts and the woman garbed and seen like their mother.

"Please! Hurry! They'll be here soon!" Her hand beckoned them now, waving as she stood in the doorway. The children looked to the woman, none among them wanting to run to their mother's arms. Light radiated around her, against her darkness. "Quickly!" Her hand grabbed and pulled at the air once more.

She looked so much like their mother, but she invited them out of the darkness, the darkness that the beasts were soon to enter. They could stay in the darkness or enter the light.

Pushing off a sheet of metal, Ashi went first, as she always did around her siblings. She ran past the tall woman's legs, into the building with dark walls but a bright interior. When the strongest among them acted, they had to follow.

The six other little ones pushed away their covers, bags of trash and scraps of metal, and ran towards the beckoning woman. One by one they made it inside, into the building and out of the darkness.

And as soon as they had entered, the door was sealed once more, returning the grim alleyway to the darkness.

No sooner did that return then did the wolves scramble into it. Their claws beat at the dark metal and racked against the stone beneath them. But as they entered the dark alleyway, they stopped, turning their nose up and sniffing the air, growls of hunger rumbling from their throat.

"They were here," one of them spoke, head twisting against the leather collar of his jacket, sharp eyes peering into the empty darkness. "But now they're not."

" _Not_ here? Then where'd they go?" Another wolf demanded, stepping forward and clawing at the dark steel of the buildings. "They run past us? Go up the walls? The hell!?"

"No… but maybe they're hiding," the dark wolf spoke again, covered in an equally dark shadow. "Their scent is spread out, buried under the trash."

"Then dig 'em up! We don't got much time till that Samurai comes back!" A third beast spoke, taller than the others and with arms that stretched the width of the alley.

His claw gripped the side of a dumpster twisting the metal and lifting the steel container into the air. With a growl of annoyance, he thrashed it against the walls of the nearby building, howling as it rang at the impact.

Trash, and only trash, fell out.

"Dammit!" He yelled again, stepping back with the dumpster still in hand. Feral eyes considered the dark alley, leaning back as he did so. Then with a shout of annoyance, he threw his arm forward.

The dumpster, large as himself and made of steel, flew into the darkness.

**_BAM! BAM!_ **

"Well? What are ya'll waitin' for!?" He demanded as he turned around to look at the remainder of his pack, of those the Samurai had not decimated with ease. "You wanna help me look or wait for Samurai ta _kill ya?!_ "

It was hardly a question that needed answering.

* * *

Inside, the little ones were safe.

Out of breath from their sprint, senses flared from the city, and nerves on end from the beasts, they huddled together in the brighter light of the building they had fled into. The seven little ones, garbed in rags, staring around the place they had fled into.

And staring at the woman who had helped them.

"Please, do not worry," said woman spoke, towering over them still. Most of the things in Aku's world did. "I'm not here to hurt you, or scare you."

The woman's hands were held up and open, showing pale bare palms. They were different than the dark hands their mother hand, the sharp gloves she often wore. But even more of the woman was revealed.

Her face was visible, not under the white mask their mother and her sisters wore. It did not have an uncaring look of indifference, it did not invite pain for Aku's pleasure.

The woman had a gentle smile, blue eyes that looked over them with concern, with the same look the Samurai had before. Even with a dark hood over her head, all seven of the little girls could see it.

"It is extremely fortunate you chose this alley to hide in," the woman continued, blue eyes continuing to look over the little ones. They held their tongues and studied her still. "Otherwise I may have been unable to help you escape."

She may not be weak, but it was hard to see her as strong.

Her arms were too thin, her robes were too loose, her face too relaxed. She was not strong like the Samurai, like their mother, or like the beasts outside. But she still had saved them. Maybe.

"I know you are all scared, and I understand," the woman continued to speak. "This city isn't… kind to children like you. But you will be safer in here than out there." The little ones looked about, seeing the here to be very small, even in comparison to the inside of the red mountain.

"Please, follow me," the woman mentioned again, her smile kind. "It is not so safe so near the door."

The girls' eyes looked towards said door, indistinguishable from the rest of the wall. Had they not entered through it, it would have been easy to miss.

But just past the door, they could still hear the raging of the wolves, the barks of the beasts. They were near, and they were searching, so distance was best to keep.

"I can show you the rest of this place," the woman spoke again as she stood, her dark outfit rising with her. "Perhaps I can hear from you as well." And so, she began to walk.

Small exchanges were shared between the sisters, looking to Ashi for what action to take. She knew best, as she was the strongest.

So, they followed the strongest as she followed the woman.

The building they were in was unlike the mountain, the woods, or the city of darkness. It was inside like the mountain, but had no feeling containment. It was bright like the woods, but without the invasion of sense. It was constructed like the city, but lacking the dark rule of Aku.

The walls were bright and lined with photos, of things the girls did not understand. There were people they did not recognize, things that made no sense, and places they had never seen. All surrounded by crosses of wood and steel.

The pictures hung from the walls and stood on short tables. Even as the little ones were led down the hall by the kind darkly dressed woman, pictures adorned all surfaces they could see. Framed, cared for, and so alien to the little ones.

"In case you are not aware," the woman began to speak again. "This is an orphanage for other children like you." The words seemed odd to the girls. "Many have been lost to the shadows in this city, leaving behind little ones such as yourself. Here… we try and save them as best we can."

Why would the strong want to burden themselves with the weak? It was not something Ashi could understand.

"Here, let me show you," the woman stopped by a door way, placing her hand on the knob. Already the girls could hear movement inside.

They steeled themselves, preparing to run or charge as was necessary. In the fires of the mountain, the opening of doors was the sign to begin. When these doors opened, they'd have to attack, or run, or merely survive.

But when the woman opened the doors, they didn't know what to do.

It was the first time they had seen other children.

Children that were running around a colorful room, holding things that could not be weapons. Blocks of odd shapes, books with thick pages, strands of rope, cardboard pieces. None of them were tools they had been taught to handle. Yet, the other children were laughing as they held them.

Laughing as they ran around in a room that was bright as the woods, but more colorful then the setting sun. They were laughing, playing, and enjoying themselves.

And the Daughters could only stare and wonder why.

"This is the play area for the younger children, like you," the woman spoke again. They girls looked to see her kneeling behind them, the same kind smile under the same blue eyes. "Much like you we found them lost in this cruel place."

The city was dark and mean, filled with the strong that didn't care for the weak. It was why they ran and the strong chased. Only the Samurai cared.

"They were dressed like you as well, putting together what they had, and only barely being enough." Her hand lightly touched Avi's ragged dress, making the girl shy away. The darkly dressed woman did not lose her smile. "But you also have found things to hold onto, much like the children here." And now her hand played with the bow in the same girl's hair.

Adi listened, trying to remember everything she was told. This place was not like the mountain or the woods or the city. But what was it then? It had to have a name. Everything had a name.

"You can stay here, if you'd like. I have to prepare dinner for everyone, and I would be thrilled to have you join us." Ahi recalled dinner. It was what the Samurai had fed them in the woods. Cooked fish, prepared squirrel, food that was tasty and good to eat. This woman was offering it to them.

But that wasn't enough for Ashi. They knew the Samurai, because he had killed their mother, killed her after she had tortured them. He fed them, saved them, and was protecting them. This woman had saved them, but that was all.

"You may call me Sister Hannah, or just Hannah." The woman smiled with her words, smiling down at the sisters. They did not know if it was proper to smile in return. She was not their mother or the Samurai. "Please, feel free to make yourselves at home, and I'll be back shortly."

The woman stood and turned, shutting the door behind her. Avi felt her muscles freeze at the sight, closing doors that meant the return to darkness, to silence and solitude. But that didn't happen.

Though the doors shut, nothing else happened. The other children continued to laugh and play, the room had not grown dark, and the little ones were not separated.

They were still together… in a place that was so alien to them.

They looked about themselves, the seven raggedly dressed siblings each looking at one another as they had done in the mountain, when the cruel eyes of their mother were not upon them. But now there were no eyes, not that they could see.

Just colors, children, and toys to play with.

"… What should we do?" Avi asked. Her hand was to her ribbon, twisting it in between her fingers. "Should we… stay?"

"Maybe," Ashi returned, eyes still looking around the room. There was lots of yelling, but no pain. Where they enjoying being weak? "But… we cannot escape."

"Why not?" Aki asked, the girl with wild and unkempt hair. The one who followed orders last, who ran away first. "We can, can't we?"

"The beasts are still outside," Adi answered. "And they're strong. We're weak, too weak." And it was the truth. They were weak, and the beasts were strong.

In here they were safe. Safe and trapped. Like in the mountains.

It was more colorful than the mountain, the woman was kinder than their mother, and the children screamed for joy, not pain. It was like the mountain, but it wasn't like the mountain.

"We should wait," Ashi said again, looking around the room. "The Samurai will come."

Waiting is what they would do. But as their mother had taught them, never wait together. That was a weakness. Pairs or alone, but never a group.

So, the little ones split up within the colorful room.

* * *

One of the little ones liked to play with things. It was a thing she wanted, but never could have.

She was much like her sisters, but weaker in body compared to them. That made her weak, and the weak were not worth saving. But she still wanted to play with things.

She wanted to toy with them, experiment with them, but most importantly, combine them.

In the mountain, she would tie the little cloth they had around the hay, to make a better bed to lay on. Her mother had burned it in front of her.

After that, she grafted clay she had stolen over stone, making a bed. Her mother had thrown it had her.

Then she had attached the chain her aunt had used to a sickle. Her mother had given it to Ashi, and told her to be stronger with simpler things.

But here was a chance for her to play with these things without her mother's hand. She only had to be cautious of what she did with them, or else the woman, Sister Hannah, might take them away.

She could play work with the blocks of wood, that were too big for one hand to carry, and the string from another broken toy. Something big and stiff and something thin and light. There was something that could be made from that.

She only had to start by tying the string. Something that her mother had taught her and her sisters when it came to tools. Tying something meant it wouldn't slip. And if it didn't slip, it could be held without hands.

The other children weren't playing with them, so she could use them. And she could make something out of them. She could make something better.

All she had to do was be careful about being seen.

"You are very clever," the sister spoke to the little one. And she was already seen.

She looked up in turn, taking her attention away from the blocks and strings she conjoined together. "You have a talent for building things. That is a wonderful gift to have."

The poorly dressed girl didn't know what to say. There were no words she could remember to say.

"Please, tell me, what are you trying to make?" Sister Hannah asked as she pointed towards the blocks. The girl looked at them, before looking to her sisters, all spread out about the room.

They were all busy with other tasks, activities that didn't involve her. Exercises they had been taught in the mountain, or instructed by the Samurai in the woods. They were learning.

"It's okay," the sister spoke again. She looked back up at the taller woman, so much kinder than their mother. "Making something new is difficult to do. Anything new you make is something to be admired. So, can you please tell me what you made?"

Her mouth moved, trying to understand if the Sister Hannah was tricking her. Her mother had before, asked what she was making before breaking what was made. Was the sister going to do the same? Her hands nervously petted her smooth hair, feeling them curve to the points that extended on either side of her head.

"I-It's…" her voice weakly spoke, dry and parched. "It's a… trip-wire."

The sister blinked at her, blue eyes staring at her.

"Oh?" Hannah replied. "Then that is _extremely_ creative of you." The child did not know what to do.

Never was she thanked or complimented for building anything. She was only ever asked to train or destroy.

"Do you think you'll need it soon?" The child didn't know how to respond. Did she mean against her? Was she looking for threats? Would she hurt her?

"Maybe…" she spoke. She scrunched up her face. She knew a slap was coming.

"Well I hope you don't have to use it on me. It looks like it could hurt." The child opened her eyes.

The woman was looking at the trip-wire, smiling at it. Her hands were playing with the string, taut between the two blocks. She didn't know what to do.

"How would you make it better?" How? The young girl had only ever been asked why, before punishment.

"… I… I would… make the blocks heavier?" It seemed right, at least. It was harder to move heavier things. So, if the blocks were heavy, the wire would be hard to move. And they'd trip.

Sister Hannah smile back at her.

"That's good," she responded, with the same smile under her blue eyes. That would make it better for heavier people." The girl found herself smiling, too.

"A-And I would the string thinner, so… it'd be harder to see?" And the sister kept smiling at her.

"Yes! That's a great idea, too!" She clapped her hands as she spoke, never once losing her smile.

The young child felt her own grow. She felt amazing.

"So, I must know," the sister began again. "What is the name of this amazing little inventor?" She asked with a palm raised towards the girl. She trusted those blue eyes, and the kind words.

"Ami," she responded. "My name is Ami."

"Ami," the woman repeated. "That's a beautiful name to go with a beautiful mind." The woman never lost her kind smile. "Would you show me what else you can make?"

Ami never wanted to hear anything else more.

* * *

Adi didn't know what to do. She what she wanted, but not what to do to get it.

She wanted to learn. About the forests, about the city, about this place. But not about the mountains. She knew enough about the mountains.

She wanted to learn ever since their mother had taught them to read. Between the lessons and beatings, they were taught to read. Because they had to read.

Read the signs of men like the signs of nature to hunt the Samurai. The Samurai who had saved them.

But reading showed her so much, and the more she learned, the more she wanted to learn. And the Samurai answered her questions. About the forest, about the city, but never about this place. He hadn't been to this place.

And the books in this place didn't teach, not what she wanted.

They were stories that she hadn't read before, but about things she didn't care about. Stories didn't teach things. They were just stories.

They didn't tell her why the trees were so large, or why the city was so dark, or why this place was so bright. Talked about a boy finding his dog. Two things Adi did not care about.

Ashi and Aki were together, the strongest with the weakest. They were all weak, but Aki rarely obeyed, Ashi always did.

Ami was with the nice woman that had helped them, talking about things that didn't matter. Ami had never smiled that before. That did matter.

And the others were around the colorful room, doing things they hadn't done before, not freely. Adi didn't care. She wanted to learn.

"Hello." Adi looked up at the voice.

It wasn't a girl she recognized. It wasn't one of her sisters or the sister. It just another girl, like her, but taller. Probably older. Red hair and freckles, and waving back and forth as she stood there.

"What's your name?" the girl asked. Adi looked at her. It was an easy question.

"… Adi," she replied after a time. She didn't want to talk.

"Were did you come from?" The girl asked again, this time on her toes. A little taller, but not much taller. Taller than her, but not by much.

"… Mountains," Adi replied.

"Is that far?" The girl asked again. She was moving closer, sliding against the ground. Adi hunched her head into her chest.

"… Yes." It felt far, because it was far away. It was the farthest they had ever been from it. There couldn't' be much farther to go.

"I wish I could go there," the girl added. "I've never left the city. There isn't much here for us." Adi shook her head.

"The mountains are not nice," she spoke again. "They are cold and red and dark and hard and bad."

"You mean the city?" the girl asked. Adi looked at her, seeing the girl's deep brown hair fall to the side with her head. "The city is cold and red and dark and hard and bad, but it's loud, too."

Adi, adjusted her shoulders, looking at her sisters in front of her. Ashi was standing behind Aki, guiding her like she always did when mother was nearby. Aki always wanted to escape, and Ashi kept her from doing so.

She never even combed her hair, like mother had said to.

"… The mountains are quiet." Adi added. Too quiet.

It was what let them hear her sisters crying, hear herself crying. When Aki cried after being beaten, and Ashi had to help her. When Avi cried after taking a hit, then being beaten further. When Ami failed to hold her sword, and then was beaten.

They had cried a lot, and the mountains were too quiet to ignore it.

"That sounds bad," the girl spoke. Adi nodded. She understood. "Is that why you're here?"

"The Samurai brought us here," Adi responded. "He… saved us. He kept us from being hurt. A-And taught us new things." Adi recalled the forest giants, the names of the fish and the birds, the number of steps into and out of the forest, and everything else she was told.

The Samurai was strong, but their mother said the strong were also smart. She could be smart.

"You mean like a daddy." Adi did not know what that word was.

"Daddy?" Adi asked. That was a new word.

"Yeah," the girl nodded her head until her hair waved. "A daddy is a man that takes care of you, that keeps you safe and teaches you how to be strong." That sounded like the Samurai.

"What… what else does a daddy do?" If the Samurai was a daddy, she wanted to know. That would make her smart.

"Daddies do lots of things," the girl replied. She sat down though, next to Adi. Her feet kicked out against the colorful matting of the room. She was used to the colors. "They're supposed to protect and care for you."

"And what else?" Adi asked again. That wasn't enough to make her smart.

"Teach you things," the girl went on. "How to walk and jump and skip and run and laugh. Sometimes they teach you how to talk or laugh. Good daddies teach you a lot." Adi listened intently.

The Samurai hadn't taught them how to do any of those things. He'd only taught them about different things in the forest, and how to bathe. The baths felt good, if cold.

"Great daddies teach you things not everybody knows," the girl went on. "My daddy taught me how to snap my fingers and talk backwards!" The girl smiled with her words.

_Snap_

Even as her fingers made an odd sound. Adi didn't know how she did that. Was it magic? Did Aku do something to her?

"My daddy was amazing," the girl spoke again. But now she changed. Adi could see it.

Her legs were drawn into her chest, her chin was on her knees, and her eyes were looking at a book half-open on the floor. Adi didn't know why. She only knew that look.

It was the same look Avi had after their mother hit her, or taught her too hard. Ashi had it, too, also Aki and Ahi. It wasn't a good look.

It was a look the weak made when the strong hurt them.

"Little ones!" A new voice called into the room. An older voice. Adi looked up to see who spoke.

It was another woman, older than Sister Hannah, older than the Samurai, maybe older than her mother. She was dressed the same, with black robes and a scarf over her head, but with far more wrinkles on her features.

She was weak, weaker than Hanna probably, but carrying a pile of cloths in her hand. They were the same cloths they had seen at the store… before the beasts came.

"I've brought some fresh clothes for you little ones," the woman spoke again. Her eyes were hardly open, but her lips smiled as she spoke. "It isn't proper or good to be dressed in rags." Where they dressed in rags?

They weren't clothes, if what the Samurai and man at the store said was true, but if they were called rags, then it was good to know. Then what was the woman holding?

"Ah, an eager one," the woman spoke, as Adi saw Avi walk up to her. Avi did like things like that. "Here, you are dearie. I made sure to ask Hannah for your size." The woman handled a bundle of cloth to Avi, her hand thin and gaunt.

"New outfits," the girl next to Adi spoke. "Like ours. They're nice." Adi looked at the girl again. Her clothes that is.

She hadn't seen anything in the store that were like them. Everything in the store appeared like the old man and beasts were dressed. Long ends for arms and legs, probably. Thick, too. These were not that.

A scarf around the hip, loose jacket around the chest, and bright colors as well. It matched the room, but not the city, or the forest, and especially not the mountains.

Looking back at Avi, she was already dressing in the clothes. They were like the girl's as well.

A long scarf that surrounded her waist, a layer of cloth that hung to her chest, and a jacket to wrap on top. They were brightly colored, but differently colored. Different than the girl at least. All the colors looked the same in the old woman's arms.

"They suit you well," the woman spoke to Avi. Her thin fingers were pulling at the ends of the jacket. Adi didn't know why. "A little long, but that gives you room to grow, okay?"

Avi didn't answer, but she nodded. Speaking without a need was a sign of weakness, Adi and her sisters knew that. But smiling was also a weakness, showing joy for things not touched by Aku.

But Avi was smiling brightly.

"Oh? Are you next?" The woman spoke as she looked towards Aphi. Adi did not notice her get close the older woman, but she knew why she was.

It was weakness to be in large groups, but partners were always best in training. Ashi was with Aki. Ami was with Ahi, and Avi was with Aphi. So Aphi would be next to take the clothes.

And she did, with far more hesitation than Avi did. But she was the last one.

"You should get those clothes, too," the girl next to Adi spoke. She looked at her, the girl smiling as her head waved back and forth. "They are nice clothes, and it's nice to have nice things."

Adi didn't know if it was, but she didn't know if it wasn't. Nice things did sound nice to have. And her sisters were taking the clothes from the older woman. Plus, she remembered, this is what the Samurai wanted at the cloth store.

He wanted to get her and her sisters clothing. Now this woman was offering clothing to them as well. Even the other girl, the other weak child, said they were nice.

If it was what the Samurai had wanted to get them, then it made sense to take them when offered. So, she would take them. But it didn't teach her something she wanted to know.

Was this something else that daddies were supposed to do?

* * *

"Those poor girls," a sister spoke as she watched the seven new ones get dressed. "Something horrible must have happened to them growing up." If the rags were not evidence to her claim, then their actions were.

They lacked even the moderate modesty girl's their age were supposed to have, undressing in the middle of the room.

"Sister Hannah said she saw them in the monitors, being chased by the Stray Wolves," another sister in the room spoke. Her words created an uneasy still in the room.

"Those beasts," the first sister responded. "Truly they are monsters even in this dark city, praying on children as poor off as them."

"Indeed," the sister returned. "Thankfully Mother Mary had spare clothes for them." Spare for the other orphans, be they found or delivered by the few good souls left in the city. "And they are not so misfortune to not know how to wear them."

"But again, decency is not something they know of," the sister commented again. "The girl sin the room would be twice shy if asked to change on the spot. None of these girls even hesitated. They took longer to accept the clothes!" And it was not a falsehood.

"It only shows they have seen more ill will in the world than kind will." The answer was returned. "It is far from the first time we have seen something so unfortunate."

"And it will not be the first time we work to correct it." Both sisters turned to see the Mother returning, smile still kind and hands folded in front of her robe.

"Mother Mary," both sisters returned, bowing lightly to their matron. Then the former sister began to speak. "We were discussing the little ones, wondering more specifically on where they came from."

"They came from the city like all the other orphans," the mother returned. "Lost and abandoned like so many before them. You cannot tell me that you are more disturbed by them than, say, Agitha?" The sister shook her head.

"No, not by appearance, but action," the sister spoke on. "Sister Hannah saw them fleeing the Stray Wolves, and doing so with far more practice than children would. They didn't cry in the corner, they hide silently."

"Then perhaps they are from the darker parts of the city," the mother returned just as easily. "Where even Aku's red light fails to touch. Regardless, it does not matter." Her eyes turned to the screens behind the sisters.

The screens filled through the Monastery, of the many corners, halls, and rooms within. It showed the crucifixes of the Silent Lord and the pictures the grown orphans had left behind. It showed the empty beds and pews.

And it showed the children, playing in the Play Room, acting as children should. Most of the children, at least.

"Should we ask them?" The question of what was obvious.

"No," Mother Mary returned. "You do not rush a growing child. Not to grow and not to tell. They'll speak when they are ready. And they'll be ready soon."

Her hands unfolded, aged and bearing the weight of their years. Her bones ached to move, but she hardly had the apathy to stop her fight.

"We've only to wait, and nurture them as they-" **_Beep._**

All eyes turned towards another monitor, higher than the rest and easy for all to see. It was to the front door of the Monastery, the guarded and sealed door prepared for blade and guns. It gave warnings for the obvious reasons. And one such reason was standing at the doors metallic porch.

A beast was snarling into the camera, a monster that all in the convent knew the name of well. With arms so wide and talons so sharp, it was impossible to mistake him. It was even harder to forget him.

One did not forget the face of a beast that feasted on children.

"Open up _sisters_!" The beast yelled as he pounded on the metallic door. The sisters did not respond, even as the beast's feral mouth growled into the camera. "I know you've got 'em in there, and we're tired of ya takin' all of our sport!"

Mother Mary snarled her lip at the name. Sport, hunting children. Truly Aku's evil was more tainted than anything else in the forsaken world.

"I'm not playin' around this time!" The monster yelled again. "I got a crew to feed and my own set of problems houndin' my back. If you're not gonna let us in… they'll have to huff-and-puff your door right down!"

The howls and cheers from behind him overdid the audio sensors. For a time, all the sisters present could hear were the jeers of the beasts. That, and the gnawing teeth that wished-for bone.

"Go guard the room," Mother Mary spoke to Sister Hannah, her eyes sharp and focused. Not a word of protest or question was given from the sister before she left. "The rest of you, spread out, prepare for an ambush."

Nervous glances were all she received now before they did as ask, running with their robes in their hands. If the beasts were coming, then the maidens had to prepare. God willing, they live through this.

It left Mother Mary alone with the monitor of the beast, snarling at their door. If it did not lie through its bloody fangs and red claws, then she could only stall. Beasts like the lone wolves did not care for patience. They only wanted to hunt the weak.

Aged hand upon the monitor, she pressed a green button, lowering her head to the microphone next to it. She knew the beast would hear, with the big ears he had and eyes to match.

"The children here are under our protection," she spoke to him, watching as his large eyes narrowed. There was no thought for retreat within them. The mother could see his claws extending from his paws. "Begone from here, or else the events of the pass will continue onto you."

For a moment, the beast stopped its snarl. In that same moment, he stepped away from the door. It left the black door hiding the sanctuary alone, staring at it from the other side of the monitor. Mother Mary watched him.

She watched as the silver beast looked to his left and right, into the crowd of apathetic citizens of the dark city. He looked, watched, and grinned with a smile unfitting of a living creature.

Then he reared his fist back and threw it forward. **BANG!**

Mother Mary could feel the impact of the blow, vibrating through the Monastery. She could hear the children give a yelp of fright. The sisters would care for them. But they could not defend against the beasts for long.

**_BANG!_** And not when the beasts were in.

Mother Mary watched the silver beast tear into the door, his claws ripping through the black steel of the building like paper. It was a terrifying sight, beget by the snarl of joy he had upon his bestial features.

And if that were not chilling enough, his fellow wolves charged in after him. They were here.

"Well, it was worth a try." The mother reached under the desk she was at, grabbing at a familiar and damned weapon. It was crude but effective.

_Cha-Chink_

"Guess now it's on us."

* * *

Jack did not offer himself a moment of respite. He did not deserve it.

The children were in danger, lost in the city, and he was chasing a hunter into a land he loathed to be in. But he could not stop, and he could not rest. Not while the demons were in front of him, and a devil behind him.

In rags of clothing and scraps of metal, he twisted and ran down the streets as they came, looking for any sign, and clue as to where the children or wolves had fled. Between the blaring alarms, bright lights, and apathetic crowd, it was a nigh impossibility, but it was an impossibility he was going to endure.

The children did not deserve his weakness, so he would give everything to see them safe.

_'Do you think you can find them?_ ' His devil spoke from the shadows. Jack ignored him.

He ignored the red eyes that stared at him from the shadows he searched in. Ignored them because they pierced too deep to allow him to search for the little ones.

_'Do you think they want to be found by?'_ The madman baited once more, and Jack twice now ignored him.

He shoved the careless people out of his way, too slow for his hurry. The children were in danger, and he needed to find them.

' _Perhaps they ran because you are the danger. Have you thought of that?'_ They ran because there was danger, and Jack had ended most of it.

Now he needed to find them before there was more.

_'And it looks like they've run into more trouble, thanks to you.'_ Jack heeded the words now.

He looked to wear the crawling darkness lurked, climbing up the steps of one of Aku's dark monoliths. It was so much the same as every other, terrible and characterless. Sheets of metal glowing with a demonic light.

But along the side of the wall, up a short porch of steel, there was a hole torn up into its side. Not torn out, torn _in_.

The children were resourceful, but the beasts were brutal. They were inside, and the beasts had given chase. Now Jack did the same.

_'You'll be too late! Just like you were for your family!'_ Jack knew that if he was, then the beasts were short to live.

He jumped through the hole in the wall, entering a place alien compared to the city outside. Walls with images of life, crosses and crucifixes of another deity, and a warmth that he had seen only amongst those who followed peace.

It was all torn up by claw marks and beast tracks. Jack did not hesitate to run further in. He knew where to go.

**BANG!**

The gunshots were a clear indicator.

"Bitch!" He heard a wolf scream, the same that had attacked at the clothing store. "I'll gut ya last for that! Make ya watch one of 'em kids bleed out first!" Jack did not slow as he turned down a hallway, never stopping his pursuit.

The bodies of other beasts littered the floor, blood drooling from their bodies. They wore the same jackets as those that were at the old man's store, those that Jack had impaled or broken in their assault.

But among them were scattered a body or two of women, older than the children and opposite the beasts they lay next to. They were as still as the wolves. Jack did not have time to check for their health.

The beasts outnumbered the women on the floor, by a margin far greater than luck would allow. And for the few beasts left, if they were not dead, they were soon to be. The protectors of this place must have been skilled.

**CRUNCH!** " _GYAAAAAH!_ " But it was not enough.

Jack crouched as he ran, picking up a discarded blade on the ground. It was three quarters his height and half his weight. He made sure to push harder with his legs to keep pace.

"Ghahahaha!" He heard the beast yell. "That's more like it! Broken and bloody!" Jack knew he was getting close.

He knew because the voice was louder, and the whimpering of children clearer. The blade felt heavy in his hand. The idea of quenching its thirst occurred to Jack first.

"You cost me a lotta my guys big time," the voice spoke quieter now, calmer. He must have been alone in the room with the children and protectors, alone and the only one armed, or capable of harming. "Guess you're gonna have ta pay that back in full."

"Give it a rest, beast," Jack heard an elder womanly reply. "You're bark twice as loud as your bite. It's obvious you prefer to _blow_." An elderly woman who did not fear death.

"Fucking bitch!" Jack heard a hard whack at the scream.

It was enough for him to pinpoint the room. The one with shut doors, a couple of bodies before it, and likely the children behind it. Hesitation was not something he was due to keep.

"You think I'm gonna let you off easy cause you got a big mouth?" The beast kept yelling. Jack did not slow to listen. He reared his foot back with the heavy blade in hand. "For I'm done here, I'm gonna have you lookin' like something Aku'd have ta-"

**BAM!** Jack's foot destroyed the doors.

Shouts of freight from young voices burst from the room, just after his violent entry. They were matched by the wolf turning towards him, howling on instinct with a maw wide enough to encompass Jack's head. And at his feet were a sister and mother, dressed in the cloth of the devout.

It was clear who were the protectors and who were the beasts.

And just behind them both were the girls. All seven of them.

All seven, huddling together with other children, all with eyes wide and bodies stiff. Terrified, scared, and fearing death. It was a sight Jack loathed to see more than even the demons that followed him.

Because it made him see the red flames of his home.

"How the _fuck_ did ya-" _SCHLING!_

Jack did not hesitate to swing his new blade. He felt no remorse for the claw of the beast that flew to the other side of the room. Neither for the howl of pain he gave.

" _GAAAAAH!"_ the wolf yelled, falling over in the colorful room and pushing against the ground. He scurried away like a rat, his frame puny and meek beneath Jack. But he did not care.

He did not care for any soul that enjoyed the torment of the innocent children.

"N-No! _No! Please!_ " The beast held up his remaining hand as he cried, pushing himself on the ground and away from Jack.

His ones snarling lips were sagged in despair. His once focused eyes were shrunk in fear. His once sure stance was fallen into whimpering shakes. He was terrified of what stood before him. He was terrified of the man holding the heavy blade.

Jack cared little for his fear.

"I-I didn't know they… that they were _your_ kids!" The wolf yelled again, eyes darting behind the man that stood above him, towards the children he had done his utmost effort to harm. "I-I w-was… I-I was just hungry!"

The wolf tripped over discarded toys, hitting the ground only to scramble further away. Jack did not stop his approach, he did not take eyes from the hunter that tried to kill the little ones. To do so would be to consider mercy.

He had none to offer a killer of kids.

"C'mon! Y-You can't do this, not like this!" The wolf continued to yell, demand some peace he thought he was do. "They're just kids! I-It's not they've got a lot ta live for!" Jack was through with listening.

He stood tall over the gray wolf, twice his size, but incomparable in strength. Jack had bested beasts that had toppled mountains and fought and evil ancient as time.

A wolf in sheep's clothing was not worth the effort of listening to.

"You wouldn't kill-!"

**_SCHLING!_ **

Jack dropped the blade on them.

Its weight undid the resistance of the wolf's hide, slicing through it with more ease than the robots he was used to. That was the only thing he was used to.

The red gore that came out of the wolf was a wave of crimson, brighter and more damning than the black oil of the machines that he usually killed. It stained much brighter.

Along the once colorful floor, red blood now stained. Along the once cheerful toys, red blood now ran. Along Jacks marred skin, red blood dripped.

And as he turned towards the children, towards their protectors, he saw the same eyes. Fearful, worried, and scared. Far more than seven pairs of eyes, all staring at him with horror.

Staring like the _red eyes that rose from the red blood, dripping from openings maws and carrying the accusations he couldn't answer, the truths he couldn't hide._

_He had brought this open the home by coming the city. He had invited the horror of Aku's land into this place. The children were endangered worse than ever with him._

_Now they witnessed blood and gore and the souls that now clawed at Jack's bare legs, reaching for the corrupted soul that was within him, doused in the same cursed blood as the wolves he killed._

" _It's over Jack,"_ his demon spoke from the dead maw of the wolf. " _Now get out before you do anything-_ "

"Daddy!" The name stopped Jack's thoughts cold.

The impact of the child at his blooded leg shook the frost from his mind.

His eyes were frozen and focused upon the girl embracing his leg. Adi, the child with an inquisitive mind and ear length hair, gripping his leg with a strength to turn her knuckles white.

Calling him something he knew he was not.

"You came! You came like a daddy would!" She called him again, holding him tighter. "I knew you'd come daddy!" He had come to their aid, as he had promised. He had killed to protect them, as he had done to machines before.

But he was not their father. It was not a title he deserved to hold in any measure of the world, weighty and noble as it was. It was something he could not deserve to have.

This child did not know of what she was speaking.

"Daddy!" Yet another of the children yelled. Another child gripping his opposite leg.

Avi, with a bow in her hair, hair longer than any of her sisters, and crying the same name to him that he knew he was not.

"Daddy is here! Like he said he would!" She yelled up to him, clutching him with a grip to rival her sister. The two children had never spoken more before, and now they were speaking incorrectly.

"N-No, I…" Jack began to speak, but words tumbled from his mouth like water from the desert. Unfelt and unseen. It was a thank that could not be described, not beyond what was.

"Daddy!" "Dad!" "Dad!" "Papa!" "Dad!" And the rest ran to him, ignorant of the pools of blood or gore.

The seven children of the mountain, the poor forgotten children of a scornful mother, gripped his legs with a strength unrivaled and with a title that was not his. They clutched him, held him, and cried his name at his feet.

Jack did not know what to do.

These were not the children of another family, lost and looking for home. These were not the forgotten youths of a decrepit village, looking for purpose. These were children without a family, clinging falsely to him as if he were deserving.

Could the not see he was staining them? The blood of the wolf he had just killed on their cheeks, staining their clothes, ruining them… mixing with their tears.

Tears that washed over their features, falling into quivering lips and chocking breaths. Tears that so perfectly showed their faces through the blood.

Faces of scared children, clutching at the one thing they thought could protect them…

"It's… alright," Jack finally managed to utter, through his lips that shook like sails in violent winds. He was careless of his appearance. These children were all that mattered. "You are safe… I am here for you."

He lowered himself to his knees, collecting the sisters in his arm. Children that were stained in the blood he had spilled, clutching him as the lifeline to which he was.

Jack held them close, leaving the rest of the crimson died room to be a far-off memory. They did not matter as much as these children, these children that called him something was not.

Yet, something he was willing to be.

"Mother, who is he?" Another child asked from across the room, a child that… was not Jack's.

"He's the father of those girls, Abigail. And he's our hero."

* * *

"Are you sure you cannot stay?" The sister spoke to him, arm in a cast yet eyes focused. Children Jack had not seen were gathered at her legs. Hers and the older mother beside her. "We can provide for you, as we have the children before."

"I thank you, but no," Jack responded in kind. Head bowed and eyes on the newly-dressed girls at her legs. They clung to his new suit. A suit provided by the kind women. "You have already provided more than what I feel due."

New clothes for him and the little ones. New shoes to protect their feet. Food for travel, a map of the region, and a gun from the elderly woman. He felt the gun was all he deserved.

But he could not argue the showers and baths were nice. That was far better than a forest's cold stream.

"Further, I cannot stay," he began, but realized it was not enough for the curious gazes upon him. "I cannot stay in this city, not now that I have taken lives."

"They are hardly the first to be lost here," the mother responded, voice far from mocking. She spoke only simple truths. "But I do understand you reasoning, though regretful to use."

"If at all possible… I would recommend leaving here as well." Jack new cities of Aku were not havens for any souls, no soul with a purpose or honest blight at least. "There are kinder parts of the world to stay in."

"Perhaps, but there are still children in this city," the mother spoke again, hand upon the red hair of a girl at her legs. Her eyes, though mirroring her age, looked to the monoliths behind Jack.

The tall dark mocking towers that offered no safety nor comfort to any soul they gazed upon. The mother did not look away.

"If we were to leave, then the little ones would be at risk." The sister spoke now, kneeling as she spoke. Her good arm swept around the children, holding them close. Not one of them shied from the embrace. "That is a risk we cannot take."

And Jack understood. Be it only a few weeks or all those many decades ago, he understood the blight of the sister and mother. Too many innocent lives trapped in a vile world. It would be too cruel to turn away from them, and unforgivable to ignore them.

It was a truth the ghosts would not let him forget. Even as they gazed at him now with eyes of red and bodies charred skin.

"Then I wish you luck with your task," Jack bowed deeper, letting the red light of the city shine on the black cloth of his suit. He looked up to see the holy due doing the same.

"Thank you once more, for everything." The sister and mother both bowed to him, the children joining their protectors' actions.

He did not deserve their kindness. He knew. Murderers and cursed souls deserved only tortured lives. He was living his, and had no desire to spread it to others. He only wished to save those already trapped within it.

"Peace be upon you and safety with you," Jack returned, rising once more. He turned to walk once more, ready to leave the city of evil. There was no more reason to stay.

The seven littles ones… the children that called him a name he was never told before, clung to his clothing and followed close by his side. He had a hand to the head of Ashi, and eyes upon the others.

He had lost them once, and he would not lose focus on them again. Not in the crowd that surrounded them, and certainly not to Aku's vile world.

But through the blaring horns, copious crowd, and red lights, Jack heard something else. Something from the mother, sister, and orphans he was leaving.

"And peace be with you, Samurai Jack."

It was a name he wished others forgot.


	4. Jack and the Scots

Forty-One years had passed.

Forty years of pain and torment, and forty years without hope or dreams. Forty years with no reprise, and forty years without peace. They were more years than Jack had lived before he had fallen into the future.

More years in darkness than in light. More time lost than found.

They were years that he had loathed, and continued to loathe upon thought and remembrance.

But nearest year to pass was not the same as the forty before it.

"Daddy!" His eyes opened at the familiar voice, seeing a familiar figure run towards him. "Daddy! Daddy!" The young girl continued to call, waving her arms as she approached.

"Avi, what's wrong?" Jack spoke to the little one, looking her over as she spoke. He could see no wounds.

"It's Aki and Aphi! They're fighting again!" He sighed at the names. The action was predictable now.

His eyes gazed upon the rolling hills, seeing where the children had wandered to. He was guarding the short path they had taken. They had followed a trail against the river to a pond to wash in. A river's path hidden by rolling green.

He stood in front of Avi, the young long-haired girl folding her hands as she looked up at him. He smiled down upon her, placing his head on her head. She looked up at him, up the length of his darkly garbed arm. He smiled back down up her, the loving child.

"Thank you," he complimented her. "I will take care of it." He always did, and he always would.

Avi nodded in agreement, following behind him as Jack took to the trail.

Jack's boots rustled the loosely crushed grass, his hands pushing away the few tree branches in his way. They were far from a forest, yet farther from being called alone. They were much in kind with the sisters that way.

It was a short path, made longer only by the hills that hid it. Tall bumps in an already mountainous region, kept from being spires only by the soft grass that grew on them. Vegetation that mountains would not abide.

It had been only days since they had traveled her, and nearly a week since they had found a watering hole large enough to bathe in. The children were bathing as a group, as Jack had instructed and taught them to.

But when he and Avi arrived at the pond, he found only two of the children in the water, and the other four watching in pairs, the silent onlookers to the brawl within the dipping hole.

The two in the stream were wrestling with one another, throwing punches and kicks that were worthy of praise, but now only scorn. The circumstances mattered, and sisters fighting was never something to be encouraged.

With a slow sigh, he prepared himself for what was to come.

"Aphi!" Jack spoke in a raise voice.

One of the girl's stopped, her shapely hair weighed down with water still showed two protrusions from the sides of her head. Her eyes were wide with sudden fear at being seen.

"Aki!" Jack spoke again, catching the attention of the other girl.

A girl with messed short hair, unabashed by the water that settled in it. Her eyes did not widen at seeing Jack. They narrowed.

Jack's own eyes did the same.

Silence was about the pond for a moment, a moment before both girls drudged themselves from the shallow water. It sank from their hips to their knees, before finally dripping away. And when they did, Jack looked away.

He heard Avi rush away from him, collecting the towels they had procured months earlier. Just as swiftly, she gave them to the pair of sisters. Not a word was spoken as they covered themselves.

And when Jack opened his eyes again, he looked down upon two of the little ones, Aphi and Aki. One with a look of regret for her actions. And the other of rebellion. He knew both well, from experience and witness.

"Why are you two fighting?" Jack asked. The reason varied often and was always important to know.

But neither spoke in return. Aphi lowered her gaze, pursing her lips. Aki kept her glare leveled at Jack. He did not shy his own away. This was how the child often looked at him.

"Aki started it." Jack looked over to Ashi, the eldest of the little ones, and by now the tallest. Her tall hair helped. Her eyes were on the her messed hair sister. "Aphi was protecting Ami." The child was behind her elder sister.

No dismissal was given by Aki, no argument towards the circumstances. She only glared at her sister, eyes narrowing to a blade's fine point. Jack watched with arms crossed, never shying his own gaze away.

"Is this true?" He asked the pair of sisters, never leaving the other alone in his gaze.

Aphi was quick to shake her head in confirmation, eyes looking up at Jack with the trepidation he loathed to see, but understood. Aki did not shake nor move her own. Only pursed lips and drawn eyes were her response.

Jack sighed again. If that was the truth, he could see how the fight began then.

"Aki," he spoke to the glaring little one, kneeling to get closer to her. She did not shy away from the approach. "Why did you attack Ami?"

Silence was her reply. A glare was his own.

"Ami was making something from rope and bells, and Aki called it useless." Jack turned to see the bob-cut little one speaking, Adi, hiding near Ashi. "Ami called Aki stupid." Ah, name calling.

"Is that true?" Jack asked Ami now, the quiet child looking back up at him. Her head nodded slowly.

Jack took in a slow breath of air, calming his mind. The silence of nature helped, as well as the patience of the little ones. They always were patient when it came to his words.

"Ami," Jack began. "Do not label your sister falsely, no matter how deserving you think it may be." Ami nodded the same as before, just as silent.

"Aphi," Jack spoke next. "It is good to defend your sister, but do well to fight last and little as possible." Her nodding was just as rushed, eyes still wide.

"Aki," he spoke lastly to the glaring little one. "Violence for words is not just, because the consequences are far more severe."

Aki only glared deeply at him. Her fists were balled at her side, head unmoving. Jack did not shift his gaze either.

This was common between them, between Aki and the many disputes they had. They would glare, and Jack would win. The little ones would wait, and finish their task. Aki would be annoyed, but she would calm.

It was expected, and of that, Jack was thankful, even if patience was needed now.

_Ring-Ring_

But the need was thrown away at the noise.

In a second or less, Jack was standing and spun around, arms wide to put Aphi and Aki at his back. The little ones hurried towards him, huddling into a circle with eyes about them, in all directions. No noise came from them, no more than the slowness of their breadth.

_Ring-Ring-Ring_

"Ami," Jack whispered quickly. "Is that your trap?"

The little one tugged twice on his armored legging, the closest to yes she would speak when afraid. He did not ask again. Whatever her trap was, it had worked to alert them.

_Ring-Ring-Ring_

"Damn _blasted_ strung-up bellops!" Jack raised a brow.

That voice was… familiar.

_Ring-Ring-Ring-Ring_

"Who'd be puttin' up tassles, bells, an' whistles in me homeland's forest?!" The voice was growing closer, and louder by consequence. It was clear the direction it was coming from. "I'd be shootin' the deer till night's blanket wraps the castle, but the'e strings been makin' it impossible!"

Jack _definitely_ knew that voice.

_Ring-Ring-Snap_

"Gaph blasted rope!" The voice yelled gain, moments before its own stumbled into the small clearing.

Stumbled in on a muscled and gun mounted pair of legs, wrapped about with a kilt of plaid colors. A kilt that rose into a muscled form in a torn white shirt, hidden just beneath an equally long white beard.

A beard that sat beneath a single-eyed face, larger than Jack's own and staring back at him. And, old as it was, Jack _knew_ that figure.

It made it no surprise when the kilted man recognized him.

"I'll be a goose-stepped bokoblin skewered turkey…" the old man spoke with a hole-riddled grin. "If I ain't seein' it with me good eye in." The man marched towards Jack quickly.

Jack felt the little ones grab at his robe, but he only noticed it passively. He knew they were safe. He knew there was nothing to fear from this man.

Jack trusted his friends.

"My old friend," Jack spoke with his arms wide.

His torso was quickly crushed in powerful embrace. Forty one years since they had met, and he was still familiar with the feeling.

"Jack! Samurai Jack!" The Scotsman yelled with gusto, voice barking like the dogs his clan once showed him. "GAHAHA! Boyo Ah'd _never_ thought ta see you here! Hell, Ah'd never thought ta even say ya 'gain 'fore I rode them celtic deer ta the netherworld to wrestle up yer spirit!"

And as usual, Jack understood so little, but just enough of his old friend's words.

"And it is… grand to see… you as well," Jack spoke as best he could with his chest being crushed. And what the Scotsman did no crumble in his embrace, the little ones behind him gripped with fear and trepidation.

"Grand?! HA! This ain't nothin' but divine's spittin' out a good piece of karma after the past few decades, eh?" The Scotsman released Jack, keeping hands on the samurai's shoulders as he offered a brought and tooth-missing grin. "Comin' out here ta find me some mutton fer the feast and 'stead Ah found me a guest of honor with a new beard ta boot! Bet ya were jealous of me own, huh?!"

Jack watched as the Scotsman's face, large as it was, morphed from a bright a cheerful grin to an open mouthed and wide-eyed gaze at the samurai's legs. There was little reason to wonder why.

"AHA! And here ya are still fightin' ta save them children from the big bereft baby!" Jack was sure who that was, only by a choice word.

The grips, many as they were, upon Jack's legs, tightened when the Scotsman gazed down at them. Jack kept his grin simple as he stood between the two.

"Daddy, who's that?" Ashi asked from the front of her sisters, eyes looking at Jack's old friend through a squinted gaze. The Scotsman, above an alabaster beard, had his one eye open wide.

"DAD?!" he yelled out the term. Jack ignored him, for now.

"He is… an old friend of mine," he answered truthfully, hand falling upon the tall spike that was Ashi's hair. "One who has saved me… and I have saved as well."

"Uh… A-Aye! Yeah, tha' be true!" The Scotsman let out after a moment of hesitation. He was easily shocked by simple things. "Yer ah… _dad_ and I took on many of them fiercest creatures ta scorn the land, from the bounty huntin' pigs ta the pitch-deaf sirens of hollowed rocks."

His still imposing arm flexed at his side, showing the strength with which his mystic blade was once wielded with. His grin was one to match. The grips of the children did not slack.

"So… how many of 'em are there, huh?" The Scotsman asked Jack, eye looking down at the little ones still huddled behind the samurai. "Cause I'd be willin' ta wager a leg of the honey-glazed and lavender ta pig stuffed turkey that my kin are gonna outnumber 'em!" Jack understood what was important.

"Seven," Jack answered as his eyes turned to the little ones behind him, all watching with careful eyes. He smiled gently upon them, the peace without words. "Seven little ones."

"WHA! Seven of 'em! And they're all yers!?" His old friend yelled looking down at the little ones that still hug to Jack's legs. "An' they're all lookin' ta be the same age!? _HA_! I knew ya woldn't of been slackin' off all these years!"

**SMACK**

Jack lurched at the handed slap the Scotsman gave to his side. The little ones each grabbed at his loose leggings, seven pairs of thin hands holding him possessively.

"Hey, and Ah'm bettin it was one of them little peekers that set up tha' string trap back there, eh?" Jack felt a singular pair of hands tighten. It was admission to him. "Mighty fine fer an alarm, but ya need logs and spikes ta really give it a trap feelin'! GAHAHA!" And the hands relaxed.

"Well we ain't gonna be keepin' this conversation up 'round these parts!" The Scotsman rose to his tallest, adjusting the belt of his kilt as he puffed out his chest. Even aged far further than Jack, his figure was still far more impressive. "Aye told ya I was gettin' food, but now Ah'm gonna bring ya back to the clan!"

Jack blinked at the memories he had of the Scotsman clan.

The castle upon the lake, by the rolling hills with sparse trees, with warriors trained through strength over skill, and women fit to endure it all. It was something it was fond to remember…

… And now he had the chance to see it again.

His eyes turned to the little ones, all still looking at him patiently, expectantly. They were cleaned, most dressed, and waiting to hear of what to do. They were not ready to be alone, but perhaps they were ready to meet the allies of his past.

Jack could not have them grow if they only ever had him to look to.

He looked to Aki, with narrowed gaze and messed hair. He looked to Avi, with a bow to her long mane. He looked to Ashi, standing to her tallest with a point in her hair. He looked to Aphi, holding Ami possessively. He looked to Ami, with a purse lip and patience gaze. He looked to Adi, who had a twinkle to her eye. And he looked to Ahi, who appeared hungry at the mention of food.

"Yes…" Jack spoke, turning once more to his old and trusted friend, bowing with his words.. "Please, show us the way, my friend."

**SLAP**

"GAHA! Ya never change, Jack." The Scotsman let out as his meaty hand slapped Jack's back. The force still rocked him. "Well? C'mon! Gonna have ta reintroduce ya to the clan an' castle!"

The Scotsman waddled off, the obvious cheer in his step. Jack looked behind him, to the waiting eyes of the little ones, still so fearful and curious of those other than themselves.

"It is alright," Jack spoke honestly to the girls. "He is an old friend. As he said, I owe him my life, and the same in kind." The girls did not respond immediately, not before their gaze shifted amongst one another.

But when one spoke, it was Ashi who spoke honestly.

"He's loud." And Jack only smiled.

"Yes, but he is also kind."

* * *

"Can't wait for ya ta pick me up on where ya've been, Jack," the Scotsman spoke as he walked forward, brushing past the little foliage that got in their way. "been thinkin' tha' maybe ya were workin' somethin' strange ta take down the big babby, and Aye was right! GAHA!"

Jack sighed at the comment, but his smile did not fall. Only his eyes fell to the children that continued to march behind him, single file and with eyes forward, silent as ever. It was how they always traveled.

"Me wife is gonna wanna give them lassies warmer clothes, I betcha tha'!" He proclaimed loudly again, pointing to the air and braking a branch. "After all me gals outgrew their first set, tha' spare parts have been jus' layin' 'round like a pack of over-grown lazy mules."

It was found to hear his friend speak again, speak in a way that he could hardly imagine another to. Only the Scotsman was al curious as that. And the little ones would begin to understand, he was sure. In the very least, Adi would.

"Flora 'ill wanna show ya her roasted duck. New family recipe! AHA!" The Scotsman bellow let loose a stream of saliva, landing on some tree's bark. "And that's not to mention Barda's coat! Assie 'ill try and get yer little lassies to dress in her old night, sweet thing tha' she is." His family sounded… diverse.

It was a reminder to Jack of his own family. A family that was now _burning in the ruins of his home, forgotten to all but his most tortured past. Leading the little ones behind him into the same ruin that would doubtlessly_ -

"And here's tha' pride of the clan!" The Scotsman proudly bellowed as he pushed aside a branch.

And Jack, with the little ones, bared witness to the castle by the lake.

A lake that was reflecting the mid-day sun, haloeing the stone structure by the way side. It led to an endless horizon, but it began on green shores. Green shores that held many people at its bank, crowding in and out of the impressive structure.

The same structure that stood forty years prior, and had the same damage as before. Even from the distance they were at, upon one of the many rolling hills, the cacophony of cheer was audible. It was as clear as the sun in the sky.

Just as clear was the proud grin on the Scotsman face.

"It's… old…" Jack heard Adi speak. She would be the one to speak of things by age.

"Aye, tha' she is lassie," The Scotsman returned. Pride was evident in his voice. "Far older than Aye, and far older than many others dare ta think. Pride and joy of me clan." He took in a deep breath of air, one that Jack could tell was scented with the ocean at the castle's back.

It was a peaceful sight, in a land so rotten and corrupted.

"Welp, ceremonies fer later!" Jack's old friend announced. "Best be getting' down there ta welcome the Samurai back ta the clan! GAHA!" **Slap**

And Jack lurched again, even as he felt Ashi grab at his legs. She was always the first.

The Scotsman walked ahead of them, arms pumping with his gait and grin evident even from his back. Jack waited for a moment, looking back at the seven little ones, dressed as best he could manage after the year they had endured.

He only had to speak a few reminders to them.

"Girls," Jack started, earning the few eyes that were not already upon him. "My friend has… loud companions. They can be very intimidating."

He saw Aki's eyes glare, and Aphi grip her hands into fists. They were the most prepared.

"But they are just as kind, and will do all they can to impress you. So do not be discouraged by them, nor afraid, alright?" Heads nodded towards him, understanding his words.

He saw Ashi look beyond him, sizing the castle from a distance. Adi did the same, but for far different reasons.

"Now, what are the rules around others?" They were well known to the little ones by now.

"No shouting, no stealing, no running away." The girls parroted in a choir back to him. Through his beard, Jack smiled.

"Very good," he returned. "Now, let us enjoy what my friend has to offer." Taking Ashi's hand, he followed after his friend, unsurprised to see the Scotsman waiting with hands to his hips and half-toothed grin looking back at him.

The closer they approached the castle, the louder the noises became. But in turn, so to did the figures become clearer. And it was then that Jack remembered why his friend was in the forest.

They were preparing a feast.

A feast that had a table longer than jack had seen many buildings as tall stretch across the green landscape, covered with a quilted pattern that so evenly matched the kilt of his friend. A kilt that was now matched by the many others around the table.

Men that were tall and muscular as the Scotsman, lithe women with muscles to show the fruits of their work, great gray hounds long as the men were tall and standing half as high. Braided hair fell from every head, even the animals that barked and followed their masters.

And their numbers were far larger than Jack remembered. Far more than the few dozen warriors he had met last he was here, and with far more women than before as well. Then again, last he was here, it was to help his friend against demons.

Demons of the flesh… not _demons of the mind_.

"AHOY!" The Scotsman yelled. Jack felt the little ones freeze at the sudden noise. "Ya'll best be makin' yerself nice! We gots the greatest guest of honor yer all ever gonna see! GAHA~!"

"Wha'?! What are ya yellin' 'bout?!" One of the men yelled back, a crate of potatoes in his hand. A crate greater than the man's own size.

"Yay! And where's the feisty feasty deer ya promised ta butcher an' skin?!" A woman yelled back, a defeathered bird in her hand. A bird that still fought fruitlessly in her grasp.

"I ain't got meal fer ya battle starved toothless mugs!" The Scotsman yelled in return. Jack was wondering if it would not be better to approach. But even decades later, he still knew better than to directly ask a question to his old friend. "I brought a guest that'll not yer kilts off an' make ya thank thee Gods!"

Jack sighed deeply at the words.

But he grunted when he felt his friend wrap a meaty hand around his shoulders, pulling him closer.

"Aye brought ya Samurai Jack!"

And the cheer made his ears ache.

"WHA?! The Samurai!?"

"OH AYE! IT DOES LOOK TO BE HIM!"

"And with a mane of good length!?"

"It's him! It' really be him!?"

"Leave it ta the clan chief!"

"GAHAHAHAHA!"

The cheers and cries fell into a pool of noise Jack couldn't decipher. He only watched as the crowd of celtic warriors jumped and cheered, their checkered and plaid clothing whipping with them. Then the horns and bag-pipes came out, turning the shouts into muted noise. Jack only sighed once more.

It was everything he expected of his old friend, and not a bit less.

"GAHAHAHA! Told ya you'd be getting' tha' grand welcome!" The Scotsman yelled into Jack's ear, enough to make the samurai's jaw clench. "Now c'mon ya sack of bones and hair, we've gotta get ya intradoced ta the new clan members! And tha's includin' yer _own_ Lil' lassies, GAHAHA!"

Jack turned to see the little ones huddled into a tight group, arms interlocked and wide eyes shifting from the crowd below and the Scotsman at Jack's side, then to himself. They were afraid of such noises, of such a crowd.

And Jack could understand. He could understand how these little ones would not be able to endure such noise and activity.

But he also knew that his friend never led with bad intentions, and all journeys with him ended with fruitful gains. He was brash, a bit violent, but he was not cruel or unkind. He simply followed a motto that Jack knew well.

Friend's carried no debts.

"It is alright!" Jack yelled above the still screeching horns. The girls were just able to look at him with the words. "I promise you will… have fun!"

He wasn't sure himself. But he knew there would be much to entertain them. His friend was nothing if not accommodating to those thirsty for adventure. But perhaps not all the little ones wanted that…

"Well c'mon ya lazy troll-boiled goblin-maggots!" The Scotsman yelled, his lungs easily overpowering the storm of noise that was his clan. "Get ta settin' up the feast! Else we're gonna have a lazy an' useless night with a hero! GAHA!"

And the crowd dispersed again, back to activities about the plain that Jack followed with all the speed his eyes could muster. Truly they were a dedicated family, to be so devoted to their work.

"Oy, not the lassies!" Jack looked at his friend confused. "Aye didn't tell ya stories inta tha wee hours of the night just ta have ya ignore the man when he comes trapsin inta the clan!" Jack understood enough.

"Oh! Sorry Da'!" Dad? Jack heard a young girl say. A girl well into her teen years, wearing a plaid color tunic with fiery red hair.

"Ya! Our bad!" And another with more red hair, and plaid colors. But her hair was curly.

"Comin' up! Be' there!" And another, the same but different.

"C'mon sis's!" "We're here!" And even more.

More and more teenage girls with fiery red hair, with plaid dresses, with bright smiles, and with devoted eyes. All of them standing up and looking at Jack from differing areas of the plain, grinning with the fondness Jack had not seen in decades.

Some were standing in pairs, in triplets, above work stations, holding dogs, holding turkey, pushing carts, so much more. They could be a village in themselves.

"Aye! That's more like it!" **Slap**. Jack kept his balance, barely, at the blow. "Jack, I wantcha ta meet me daughters!" Daughters?

It wasn't hard to see the resemblance. The size, the speech, the muscles, the clothing. But… the number of them was astounding. A glance to his back told Jack the little ones thought much the same.

"We got Flora, Maeve, Isla, Bradana, Murdina, Alana, Oban, Ardbey, Fiona, Assie." The girls waved as their names were called. Jack could hardly keep track there.

"Bonnie, Lorna, Mawina, Shona, Nora, Piesil." And more hands waved in return, a few giggles and proud flexes following.

"Shanath, Euspeth, Edme, Freya, Gilbartha." Jack could feel the little ones behind him gripping his loose robes in confusion. There were simply so many of them.

"Gesha, Grizela, Innes, Dawntha, Cora, Davina, _and_ Kina." The last of the girls waved and jumped with their names, prideful to hear them spoken.

Jack could not say how many he had missed. It felt like all of them.

"Aren't they a grand bunch?" His old friend asked, hand still around the samurai's shoulders. "Does me old and aged spirit good ta see my beautiful lassies taken after thee mother."

Now Jack saw the similarities.

"But hey! Now ya gotta show us yer own kin!" His friend released him, twisting him around until they were face to face, though whole heads different in height.

And Jack realized what he meant after thinking about the state of the littles ones.

"Oh! Yes, um…" Jack began turning to face the little ones, still crowded into a small group. He smiled at them, through the thick of his beard. They stared back. "These little ones are in my care."

Jack moved aside what little he could for the girls to look up at the Scotsman, the tiny children staring up at the behemoth of a man. The difference in height and strength was obvious. Moving his hand over their heads, Jack began to name them.

"They are called Ahi." The girl with tall horns for her. "Ashi." The child with long bangs and a long point. "Aki." The girl with messed hair. "Aphi." The twin-horned girl with low bangs. "Adi." The girl with bob-cut hair. "Avi." The little one with the longest locks. "and Ami." The fellow twin-horned hair, bangles and well kept.

His friend let out a low whistle as the names were finished.

"Well look at ya and bein' all consistent with their names," his friend began, oddly, grin wide and showing the gaps between the yellow teeth. "And good on ya for keepin' their names straight. Got me own girls mixed up more than twice, GAHA!" Jack spoke nothing of the moments he mistook Ami for Aphi.

"Who is that?" Jack turned to see Adi pointing beyond his friend, towards a small crowd in the plain. The figure she was indicating was obvious.

Wearing a dried deer head, hunched over at his tallest, Jack was surprised he was still alive.

"Oh! Ya mean tha elder?" His friend spoke up. "He's da clan wiseman, keeps us straight with lessons and the like. Ya got an itch ta talk ta him?" Adi shook her head quickly. Jack was impressed. But he remembered the young one quickly.

Very little could stand in the way of Adi when knowledge was to be gained.

"Gotcha. Oi! Isla!" The Scotsman yelled to his daughter, one with long flaming-red braids. "Can ya help the lassie with the shaman? Ya got his tongue untied and all, right?" Jack recalled, from history, what he meant.

"Sure Da'!" The daughter quickly returned, skipping over to them. Muscular as she was, she was still feminine. Though she did stand just hairs length under Jack. Given her heritage, it likely would not be long before she towered over him as well. "So which lassie is lookin' ta talk ta the old man?"

Adi raised her hand, walking forward in the same breadth of action.

"Heh, ya got the eyes of the scribes that roll through here," the girl spoke in a breath Jack nearly missed. Her smile never lost its shine, however. "Well c'mon, can't talk ta the bag of bones from here, ya?"

Adi nodded in response, following quickly behind the girl as they departed. Jack watched them, knowing that she was safe among the kin of his old friend. This was a safe place to explore.

But it still felt… odd. It had been sometime since they explored a town freely.

"Oi! I got's a question." Jack looked up at another one of the Scotsman children. She had meaty arms, comparable, easily to his old friend. "Which one of the girls is the burliest?" Jack tilted his head at the question.

"I beg your pardon?" It was not a question he typically heard.

"Oh sorry, jus' wonderin' which of yer girls is the strongest." Her hand pointy at the group of the little ones again. If not for her kind grin, and her relation to the Scotsman, Jack would have been far more wary. "Cause growin' up, tha' title was mine. Wonderin' which of the samurai's girls is in my leage."

"Me." Jack looked down in time to see Aphi stepping forward. Of course it was Aphi. "I'm the strongest!"

"Ya sure?" The daughter asked again, leaning over to show the difference in height. "Ya think you can show me the strength of yer guts and arms? Promise not ta crack them over a dragon's tooth?" Jack had little idea of the meaning of the words.

"Yes!" So he was certain Aphi was being led into a contest she was not aware of.

"Oi! Nora, she's half yer height and age, don't go throwin' her around, ya?" His friend quickly interjected. It did some good to Jack's senses, knowing that his friend was aware of the size difference. Usually he was immune to such logic.

"Promise Da'! Now we've gotta contest, ya?" Aphi nodded her head at the flaming haired girl's words. It left Jack watching her retreat, and only five of his daughters behind him.

Actually four. Just four. Ami was missing.

Jack started to twist around the girl's, looking for the quietest sister of the seven of them. The others did the same, this situation far from the first time this had happened.

"Lookin' fer the other horned gal?" His friend asked with a wide grin. "Venture yer eyes over yonder. She's just fine." His hand extended towards a group of men, unrelated, presumably, to the girls Jack had just been introduced to.

Ami was beside them, looking up at the musket one of the taller men held. By the direction of his head, and movement of his lips, there was a conversation going on.

And by the way the musket drifted from the man's shoulders to the hand's reach of Ami, it was not hard to deduce what the conversation was about.

"She a hunter?" The Scotsman asked aside him. "Got the tongue of one, and the footsteps ta match." Of that she was not.

She was merely interested in tools, no matter how odd or foreign. And a musket, an odd weapon in these hopeless and odd lands, was something she would be curious for figuring out. He only hoped she would not gain the parts to make one, much like the laser before.

But his mind was taken away from Ami when he felt a tug at his robes. A glance down showed him Ahi, pointing aways from the group.

"What's that?" She asked, pointing to a roasting a fire. A fire that held a large bid over it, defeathered and slightly brown. Of course it was food. Ahi was always curious of those things.

"What's what, lassie?" A daughter asked, nearby the fire.

"What's that?" Ahi asked again, pointing at the large bird once more as well.

"This?" The daughter returned. Jack could not recall her name. "This is a turkey caught in that misty woods just passed tha' hills. Good catch, even if it is a wee bit small."

Jack reminded himself the turkey was larger than Ahi herself.

"This is small?" Ahi asked, mimicking Jack's thoughts. "It's so big! Does… How does it taste?" And there were the questions that Jack knew she was keen to ask.

"Oh! It tastes like the spring wood forest after a mighty fine dew!" The red-headed girl cheerfully returned, a toothy grin framed by red hair. "The kind a thing tha reminds ya of the comin' winter and the big bellies ya need ta live through it."

"That… tastes good?" Ahi asked back. She stood just far enough away from the fire, but still close enough for Jack to see the rotating bird reflected in her eyes.

"Finer than aged wine and drum from the depths of the brewery." Her grin matched her fathers, teeth and all. She was perhaps the only one of the girls to do so. "Wanna know how ta cook it?"

Jack did not have time to raise a hand before Ahi pushed towards the girl, short legs pushing her towards the meal. The laughter of his friend got his attention.

"GAHA! It's like they all got all yer blood and the bodies from their mum!" Jack spoke nothing of the words, nor the laughter. "Is there 'ven a gal among tha' lot that likes the kilts and pauldrons? Or are they all tooth-bitten blood-licken warriors."

Actually, Jack knew one of the girls who fit the question his friend asked. And said girl tugged on his robes once more.

"What's a kilt?" Jack looked down to see Avi looking up at him, bow in her hair and body close to his own.

"What's a kilt?!" The Scotsman asked. Avi leaned closer to Jack at the cry. "Why it's only tha' greatest piece of clothin' ta grace the clan fer generations on end! Sign and truth of the warrior's blood and spirit, fashioned from tha colors of the land and made from the pelt of the woodland beasties!"

Avi leaned closer to his friend as he spoke on.

"It be the woman's work ta fashion up and stitch them tagether, but a good design is worth as much as the greatest game in tha woods! Ya wouldn't see a Scotsman like meself trapsin about in anything but the most plaid colors in the land, GAHA!" And he pulled on his clothing as a sign.

"How's it made?" The question was something he knew she would ask.

Like the robes he wore, the armor he designed, the habits the nuns wore, and the shirts the many other travelers wore. Her questions were near always the same.

"Ha! Didn't ya hear me lassie, Ah said woman's work, and that's one thing I'm proud ta say I ain't." Jack sighed at his friends words. Those were predictable as well, even decades later. "But A'm sure that the gals over yonder would help ya out, ya?"

His meaty hand pointed towards a group of women, different enough from the daughters Jack had been introduced to. They were sitting in a circle, with threads and needles in hand, collections of clothes in the other. Likely mending holes and seems.

And Jack felt Avi already learning towards them, but hesitating the same way she normally did. But it was as his old friend said. This was normal.

"It is alright," Jack told Avi, who looked up at him, worryingly. "I will not be far, and you are safe. They are friends." And his smile was enough to portray what his words could not.

With far slower steps than her sister, and with glances over her shoulders, Avi made her way over to the women, hands folded in front of her.

It took that time for Jack to notice that Ashi was behind her. The Scotsman noticed in time.

"Kind of a big sis, ain't she?" He noticed of the eldest and tallest of the sisters. "Jus' like me Fiora, always lookin' out fer her sisters." Of that, Jack could understand. "Now's how 'bout ya tell me what's goin' on with this last lassie."

Aki, the last of the little ones, stood beside Jack. She did not clutch his robe, or look up to him for questions. She only glared at his friend.

"Ya got a mean look in yer eye," his friend spoke, narrowing his only good one in kind. Jack watched, silently. His friend was far more experienced with raising little ones that he was. The proof was all around him. "Ya thinkin' 'bout punchin me lights out? Or are ya just admiren the mug?"

And a moment later, his friend caught a small fist about his face.

"Aki!" Jack raised his voice at the young girl, kneeling down to grasp at her shoulders. She did not fight him, but she didn't look at him. She kept glaring at the Scotsman.

The Scotsman who, Jack know heard, was laughing merrily.

"A fighter is she? GAHAHAH!" The Scotsman grin showed the gaps in his teeth, with fists to his hips and chest puffed out. "Well she'll be in good company with a couple o' me daughters, AHA!"

And before Jack could ask of the words meaning, the Scotsman raised a pair of fingers to his lips, blowing into them. A whistle sounded across the yard, attracting the attention of the many clansmen around him, including the dogs that barked in kind.

"Oy! Maeve! Murdina! Get yer lazy bony butts over here!" And two girls from the small plain made their way over, as tall as their siblings and with the same red hair, fashioned in differing ways. Jack could not tell the two apart by name alone. "How's 'bout ya show a spunky lassie tha Celtic way ta work off some steam, heh?"

Jack was unfamiliar with the method he said, and a glance at Aki told him that she was just as foreign to it. Though her eyes were still slit and narrowed.

"She's got a good hook fer a lassie of leg's length. Might wanna show her what the beast of the Celts can pull of!" And the daughters grinned at the words.

Grinned as they stood in front of Jack and Aki. For a moment, Jack was ready to put his hand in front of Aki, to hold her back and protect as he had done for the year prior, for the time he swore to do so forever more.

But Aki, herself, jumped forward and latched onto one of the girl's legs.

And the girl laughed in response.

"Oh yeah, she's got the spirit!" the fiery red head responded. "But she's gonna have ta show off them muscles if she's gonna impress!" Jack recalled a similar contest before. It involved throwing stones.

"No time fer tha'." The other girl responded. "Ah'm lookin' fer what she can do with a field at her feet and fire in her gut!" The two grinned at each other, even as Aki continued to grasp at the girl's leg.

"Ya got a real group of girls here, Jack," The Scotsman returned. "Not even ten minutes enjoyin' thee scenery and the've gone and scampered off! GAHA!" It was not normal for them.

But in comparison, it also was not normal for Jack to be friendly with others. But old friends had special privileges, and the Scotsman was one of the oldest.

"Now don't be worryin' yer skinny arse over them girls," the Scotsman spoke as he patted Jack's back. It was noticeably lighter than usual, in that it didn't knock Jack off of his balance. "Me clan ain't gonna do nothin' but teach 'em what's for." Jack wasn't sure enough of those words.

"Are you sure?" He asked, already unsure of what answer he would prefer. But the half-toothed grin of his friend, behind a white beard and pale skin, was good to see.

"Aye, me kin ain't gonna do nothin' ta hurt them. Ah promised me _beautiful_ wife I'd never let a lassie feel like they're anythin' bu' amazin'!" The Scotsman laughed heartily at his words, good eye shut as he let his head fall back.

Jack remembered his wife well. A fearsome warrior motivated by the scorn of pride. Able to handle the demons in a vast number, all with a warrior's call. A woman that… Jack hadn't seen.

As his friend laughed, Jack looked about the decorated plain, still preparing for the feast. He saw many of the clansmen of the Scotsman cleaning game, chopping wood, carving seats, hammering out utensils, and so many other activities.

He saw Ahi with one of the daughters, cooking a turkey that could feed her and her sisters for a week. Jack could see drool from where he stood.

He saw Adi talking to the elder of the clan, wearing a bony mask and wavy bony hands. Her mouth moved as the elder chanted.

He saw Aphi arm wrestling one of the Scotsman daughters, another name he couldn't remember. Despite being half the size, they nearly matched in strength.

He saw Ashi speaking Fiora, marveling at her sword. She watched with captivated eyes as the elder girl talked on.

He saw Ami talking to a couple of burly men, showing the musket that was longer than their own meaty arms.

He saw Avi watching one of the women stitch together a kilt. Her hands were working on a pair herself.

He saw Aki wrestling with Maeve and Murdina, yelling as the elder girls laughed. They were all still smiling.

He saw much… but he couldn't see the mother of the girls.

"Where… is your wife?" Jack asked, looking at his old friend. The question alone brought down the Scotsman charm and cheer as quickly a night in the woods. No warning and little shelter.

"Aw Jack, she's gone." The words came from his old friend with clear grief. Jack felt his own eyes widen. The idea of such a warrior passing was something he still had trouble imagining. "Too many cold winters in a castle tha' was takin' in me kin."

"I am… deeply sorry," Jack responded honestly. He eyes looked about the crowded plain, spotting a pair of tables and chairs. They were likely to be used, but for now, they could be used. "Come, please tell me about it."

"Jack, tha' ain't the kinda thing Ah'd wanna chat up with ya," his old friend returned, even as they both walked to the pair of seats. Jack settled into his with little effort. The Scotsman nearly broke his with the way he fell into it. "Me beautiful wife… taken 'fore she could see the grand lassies she helped ta raise."

The samurai had no difficulty imagining the strong woman carrying and raising so many daughters. He would not be surprised if the men were her sons as well.

"But whatta fighter she was, most beautiful maiden ever ta come up and help raise thee clan." His old friend lifted his munitions leg, letting it rest towards the sea, head back to stare at the colorful sky. "Times like these are when I'm wonderin' if she's thankin' me for livin' or cursin' me dampened spirits."

He grabbed at a mug from the table, large enough for Jack to require both hands to hold it. The Scotsman needed only one, and he drained its contents in a few gulps, leaving foam at his white beard. A melancholy sigh left son after.

"Now she's up in the gard', holdin' a family crest and probably waitin' ta roll on back and kick the monstrosities outta an' back ta whatever holes they came from!" The mug slammed itself back on the table. The table shook, and Jack could see a split in it now.

His eyes turned back to the Scotsman, seeing his old friend looking at the sky forlornly again. It was a look he knew well, one he had himself often. One the little ones often shook him from.

"Lookin' fer another drink Da'?" And it appeared here it was little different.

"Ah! Bonnie!" Jack's friend let out as he leaned forward, reaching a hand out to his red-haired daughter. He grabbed at a mug from his child's plate. "Yer a sweet lass, watchin' yer old man like this!" The grin, holed as it was, held much warmth in it.

"Thanks Da'. Have ta help when all the other jobs are beein' routed." Her grin, far more pristine, was no less brilliant. And her eyes were also warm to look at when she gazed back at Jack. "Would ya like a mug? Have ta be thirsty walkin' through them woods."

"Oh no, I could not-" Jack began, but his words were quickly deafened.

"Course he'd like a mug!" The Scotsman yelled heartily as ever. "Warrior like him's gonna need the barrel by the time the night's down and the seas get restless! GAHA!" Of that, Jack knew it was not true. The consumption of alcohol was the one contest his friend could best him at.

Nevertheless, he accepted the wooden mug as it was held to him, offering the foamed and fragrant drink within. It had a strong smell to it, and one Jack had come to know.

"Drink up now laddie!" The Scotsman yelled just across from him, raising his mug into the air. "Can't except a straight story from ya without a pint of the finest brew sloshing in yer gut!" That was not true. However, it was likely another tradition of the clan.

Taking a slow breath, Jack sipped on the liquid, feeling the familiar burn of the drink down his throat. Even decades behind him, it was not a drink he was accustomed to consuming, but he did so nonetheless.

"GAHA! Now that's the stuff, ain't it Jack?" The Scotsman asked, sloshing his own cup as he spoke. "Ah, reminds me of the days when I had more muscle in me arms than a boar chargin' through trees. Just as many guts though, Gehehe."

Jack remembered those days well. They still haunted him.

"Oi, that reminds me," his friend began. "Where'd those snappy lassies of yers come from? Ain't seein' yer own missies around here." Jack felt the drink turn sour. "You leave her fer an adventure? Teachin' the gals 'bout the world, eh?"

He smiled with is words, ignorant of the truth. Jack did not fault his friend, as his own frown was hidden through the bushel that was his beard. The memory still stuck in his mind.

Their mother lying atop red rocks. Her _red blood spilling to the floor. The demons of the shadows crawling about her body, commanding her soul, possessing her mind. Taking even a corrupted parent from their children._

_Leading their children into a dark world_.

"She… is gone," Jack spoke simply, bitterly watching his reflection in his now foamless drink. "No longer of this world."

"Oh… ah… sorry ta hear that…" his friend's voice fell considerably at the mention. Jack could tell he did not understand.

"She died on the day that I met her," he continued, continuing to stare into the mug that held his drink. "Met her within the Red Rock Mountains, between the light of fires and shadows of stone." And the haunting images came to life before him.

The dust from rock billowing in his drink, the heat of their blood against the palm of his hands.

"The girls were hers, tortured to fight, made into evil things." Much like the monster he fought beside the women, other humans made into dark creatures. The irredeemable, and so close to what the little ones had become.

So close to what he was.

"I killed her." The words were poison to his own lips. "Before her own children, I slew her." And the memories would be with the little ones forever, just as they were with him.

Just the same as his inescapable past. A past that looked at him from _the dark corners of his mug, crawling through his hand and laughing upon his shoulder. Reminders of his failures, his mistakes, the lives lost by his misdeeds._

_A family that was burning in a barren town, left to nothing but ash and dust. Mangled corpses that screamed his name, cursed his actions, bemoaned his deeds._

_Demons laughing at his failures, rage crying for more. All his failings, all his mistakes._

_All of his_ _unjust actions shown in the face of_ his mother, smiling down upon him. A mother thanking him for the tea. And a father thanking him for his astuteness and care.

Jack opened his eyes, confused.

He opened his eyes to see his friend's blade, mystic and enchanted with foreign arts, touching at his shoulder.

"Nearly lost ya there, Jackie," The Scotsman spoke on. "Ah've seen that face 'fore. When me beautiful wife passed." Jack listened, intently, as his old and wise friend sheathed his mystic sword.

The terrors, for now, were gone.

"Too many bad dreams kept we 'wake at night. Too many mistakes of what Ah could'da done ta kept her 'live, even for a few moments." His eye was not watching Jack. Jack watched him. "Any idea's Ah got, they yelled at me, screamin' at me."

His head rolled on his shoulders, moaning even as the breaking of waves continued from the ocean. Jack listened only to his friend.

"Ya wouldn't believe the sorrow I had then Jack. Wouldn't 'ave recognized me sorry mug then, like a wimp scampy tryin' ta break a boulder." Odd as the metaphor was, the samurai was sure he did know. "But, I did manage ta come back."

"How?" Jack asked, before he even thought of the word.

He was sure the smile the Scotsman gave him was just the same.

"Ah got a fam'ly, Jack." The Scotsman good eye turned towards his children, playing and working through the yards and upon the ancient castle. "Ah family that held me through the dark times, and kept me movin' in the hard ones. Somethin' the clan can't even hold a stick to."

And his smile was warm as the sun's first light.

"Aye told ya before 'bout us friends and debts, ya?" Jack nodded at the question, enthralled by the small pockets of wisdom his aged friend held. "Well, there's another fer yer family."

In a chair too small for his girth, with a leg made to be a weapon over a stand, the Scotsman leaned closer to Jack, grinning with missing teeth and sparkle to his eye.

"Friends carry not debts. Families have no regrets."

Jack could see it in his old friend's eyes, the hope of tomorrow. The praise for the day.

A sweet song that played through the rolling hills of his land, whistling as his children worked. The evidence of his past, the light above the dark of his misdeeds, few that they were. They were what gave him that look.

And Jack… he looked to the little ones who called him such the same.

**Slap**

And he nearly fell out of his chair at the sudden force.

"Now _there's_ tha' look Ah've wanted ta see!" The Scotsman cheered, even at Jack's twisted features. "Doesn't matter how thick yer beard be, laddie. Ya got a smile that can cut better than even the Celtic runes of me sword! Aye saw it." His meaty hand pointed towards his good eye.

And Jack rand a hand across his face. It was difficult for him to even imagine, having the same peace as his old friend. Yet, it wasn't unbelievable.

For as he saw the littles ones playing, fighting, and building, he felt that same odd light billow in his chest. The once unthought of embrace he thought lost to the darkness of his past. The thing he thought was gone.

Hope. Hope for a brighter day.

* * *

And the next day brought the inevitable departure.

A departure the girls knew was coming, but only a few were eager to take. Ami had no objections, Adi and Ashi were indifferent. The others clung to the children of the Scotsman.

"Again!" Aki yelled as Jack looked down at her, clung to the thigh of Murdina. "Fight me again! I'll win! I'm not weak!" And he watched as the older and far more faired girl laughed.

"Aye, that ya ain't. Yer bruisin' me thigh with the grip ya got there!" She pointed down at Aki's hair tossed head, grinning even as the younger child growled up at her. "But yer gonna have ta put muscle on the bones and feet in the height if ya want 'nother go at me, lassie."

"I'm not lassie! I'm Aki! Now fight me!" And the laughter continued.

Jack grinned himself at the display, even as the Scotsman bellowed with laughter beside him. Jack caught his old friend wiping away tears from his remaining eye.

"Aw Jack, ya got a feisty one here. Gonna make a warrior worth a trail later on. I'll bet me good leg on it!" It was a bet he didn't need to take. Jack was just as sure of the outcome.

Just as sure was he that they had to leave.

"Thank you, my friend, for your hospitality and… kind words." He had not forgotten their talk. It was one he swore to his memory. Like many others on top of it.

**Slap**

And the hit on his back was actually expected.

"HA! No thanks necessary, Jackie!" The Scotsman bellowed as Jack recovered his balance. "We'll call it even fer provin' to me lassies that their old man ain't a washed-up warrior just yet, GAHAHA!" Jack had no idea how he had done such a thing, but he was thankful for the exchange nonetheless.

"Do we have to leave now?" Jack looked down at Avi, the bow in her long hair a giveaway. That, and the large pack of clothes tucked along her shoulders. "I… want to learn more about the stitching."

"Yes… we must," Jack answered honestly. "We have already taken much of their hospitality."

"And yer gettin' even more!" The samurai had little time to think before he was lifted by the Scotsman, weightless even in his aged friend's meaty arms. "The lassies and ladies made up a grand gift fer ya! Somethin' we were puttin' together for a time."

Jack words, if he spoke any, were drowned by the cheers and hollers of agreement from the surrounding clan members, all following the Scotsman. Following as he carried Jack out of the castle and to the fields.

He saw the girls following him in appropriate ways. Either carrying the gifts of clothing and food, clinging to the more seasoned warriors among the Scotsman kin, or running with confused glances. He only watched.

Fighting the Scotsman actions was like challenging the waves, as he had learned many decades ago.

"An' here it is!" His friend announced, dropping Jack down.

He landed on his feet, righting his balance and looking around. Outside of the aged castle, in the green fields before the rolling hills, Jack had a short time to appreciate the scent and sound of the sea.

Before his eyes fell on the Motorcycle before him.

A bike with carriages at its side.

With horns upon its mast.

With wheels larger than his crouched body.

And with metal sleek as a blade.

And a color as dark as the night.

Jack watched, stared, and marveled at the creation that seemed so unfit for his brash friend. A friend that grinned madly as ever, teeth missing and eye glaring. Jack had no words, not until some were offered to him.

"A beauty, ain't she?" He spoke on. "Stole the parts from some bounty hunter's thinkin' of taken our land fer sport!" He didn't laugh, but instead spat to the side.

Jack heard the clan entire behind him do the same.

"But after we took them down like the weak limbed and brushy boned babies that they were, we decided ta put their tools ta use, and we put together this baby! With Celtic magic and SPIRIT! GAHAHA!"

The cheer was followed with laughter and applause from the clan behind Jack. A quick glance showed the raised swords and fists. Even the staff of the bone-clothed elder, watching through his skinned deer skull.

But this was… so much more than Jack expected.

"This is… amazing," Jack admitted honestly. "But it must be too much for us." And the laughter from his friend was the first response.

"HAHA! No it ain't!" The Scotsman replied. "See? Even yer lassies are all about it!" And a glance back at the bike, a glance that was barren from the bike for all of seconds, confirmed his friend was right.

The little ones were crawling about and on top of the bike, marveling at it the same as him. So often their rides were either the feet beneath them or carriages of wood. This was… far more than that. But still.

"We could not-"

"Jack yer takin' the bike an yer gonna go make somethin' of the world with the lassies!" The Scotsman yelled at him, overly large grin and imposing figure betraying any malice in his voice. "Our clans' still gotta finish raisin' the deer and sharpenin' the swords, so ya better take tha' time and make somethin' great outta these girls!"

His hand pointed behind Jack, to the little ones already crowding around the motorized bike.

Eager eyes above heavy clothing, clothing and wrapping far more fit for the coming cold than the rags they were left with before. Girls that, though all so similar in appearance, were all so different.

Avi's love. Ashi's leadership. Aki's aggressiveness. Ahi's cooking. Adi's knowledge. Ami's building. Aphi's justice. All of that, in seven sisters that now stared wondrously at the gift from the Celts.

"I… do not know if I-" And once more Jack was stopped.

"Jack, I get yer nervous," The Scotsman spoke as he leaned down to Jack's level. "Raisen' lassies ain't a walk in the misty woods in spring's growth. Hell, It'd be like fighten the mob of demons twelve times over with a missing leg and both eyes gone than havin' ta do it all again."

That was quite a metaphor he was given.

"But Jack, I'd do it all a dozen times over just to see me kids as they are now." And the Scotsman's good eye looked away from Jack, to the many daughters he had sired.

Daughters, already in the morning, taking to tasks about the plain and castle, cleaning and cooking and preparing for activities Jack could not name. Each one was their own person as well. So similar, and yet so different.

Some cheerfully stewed pots. A few graciously tore through trees. Others grinned as they beat stones over swords and steel. And the rest were gathering supplies, all grinning the same kind.

"They be me pride and joy, Jack. More than any fight an' battle I've endured. Nah offense." Jack took none. "And seein' as they are now, I'm sure ya can do the same with yours."

And his eyes returned to the black bike he was gifted. And the girls climbing about it. With Ami taking the most interest in the large motor at the head, Adi studying the wheels and links. Avi and Ahi taking comfort in the seats. Ashi finding a place at the helm to stand. Then Aphi and Aki fighting over the spot he'd doubtlessly have to sit.

It was… warming to see.

"Now, get yer bony arse in the bike," he pointed at the seat Aphi and Aki fought over. "Put yer feet on the gas, an' go out there and show tha' world there's still somethin' worth livin' for, ya?" It was a heavy request.

A request that made Jack shut his eyes, thinking of the implications as he felt the wind through his beard and across his face. To inspire the lives of others while he was burdened with those who were lost. To raise a family of children, after having taken from them their first.

To fight to live. To fight against death. To keep on fighting. To fight for hope. To fight… and not to give up.

His demons were oddly silent…

"I… will…" Jack responded. It was not enough. "I shall. I shall for you and for your clan." And those were the right words.

"GAHAH! That's the Jack I know!" **Slap**. Jack kept his balance as the Scotsman delivered the usual blow to his back. "Talkin' up a big game with straight words! GAHA!" And the clan laughed with them.

Jack smiled in kind, before facing the clan as a whole.

"Thank you all once more, for your hospitality and gifts." He bowed lightly in respect. "And I promise… I am not done."

And the cheers were deafening again.

Deafening to him, and the demons that lurked behind him.

No man in green, horse beneath, did he see.

And that was how Jack left the clan.

The demons still chased his shadow, hiding beneath the bike and behind the bark of the trees. But that was were they stayed. That was were Jack aimed to keep them.

It had been a year since he had met the girls, and now it has been only minutes since he had met his friend. Perhaps the more he met, the farther the demons would stay away.

Roaring, the bike continued on. The little ones, most of them, cheered in their carriages.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed the time skip. I did the time skip because following the children through their entire lives would take forever. And Jack doesn't really do that, the show that is.
> 
> So I'm doing my best to skip at reasonable places, while illustrating the norms for this "family"


	5. Jack and the Gentle Thief

Forty-two years had passed.

Forty-two years since hope was lost, forty-two years since an endless struggle proved to be meaningless.

Jack counted the years as he did the months, weeks and days, tracking the count of the hours as he drifted through Aku's twisted future. It had been forty-two years since he had given up his struggle.

And his had been two years since he had found a reason to live.

A reason to live that included seven young lives that were pulled from the darkness of a mountain, darkness he had run from and they were born within. Two years since he had saved them, and now two years moving with them in a constant fashion.

From the high mountains to deep woods, from dark cities to holy lands, he had always kept moving. Two years of movement, never settling and never waiting. In Aku's future, to settle was to invite evil, and Jack would not risk such a thing upon the little ones.

So, it was why Jack and the little ones were now on a train, a locomotive machine that trailed through an empty land.

A land that was decorated with towns like oases in a desert. Few and far between.

Hours ago, now they had left one town, it having left eye-sight long ago. They had days before they arrived at the next. And in between there was only empty lands and open skies.

Lone pillars of rock and vacant terrain, holding not a speck of green life or wandering animals about. Only the passing breeze and chasing sun were the sights to adore. There was otherwise no reason to stay.

It was why the train kept moving, plowing through the land at the rate burning coal could manage. Coal Jack had seen the robots and emaciated villagers cart into the carriage, more than he believed came from a mine daily.

It burned a black smoke, a cloud that dissipated above the train's length, vanishing before it touched the whites of the clouds high above. It was likely the only thing in the arid lands to both be born and die here.

But those were not concerns to Jack. They were observations of his eyes and notes in his mind.

Jack cared only for the seven little ones still in his care. Little ones who were exhausted from days of travel, looking forward to just as many days of rest. Rest in a vehicle that did not spin, shake, or threaten to fall from the sky.

A train, the only vehicle tethered to its own path.

Jack sighed deeply, the thick hairs of his beard waving at the action. He was careful not to make much louder of a noise, else he disturb the little ones around him. Little ones resting in a cabin of the train.

Three of the mountain children, Ashi, Adi, and Avi.

Ashi, who had kept the sisters together whenever Jack had to speak to another. Purchasing the tickets, loading the motorcycle, securing the cabins, or even just thanking for the space. She was eldest of the seven children. Perhaps only by minutes, but by much more in mind.

Adi, the ever inquisitive one. A child that asked of every metal tool the train held. The wheels with rubber, so unlike the bike. Tracks with one direction, unlike divergent roads. And the length of the locomotive, so much longer than even the widest of airships. She asked questions until her mind tired.

Avi, a decorative child. She was careful with the clothes they had procured, for her and her sisters. The cases were kept away from the loaded coal, their matching outfits marked by name, and small deviances noted by her mind. Her rosy ribbon was still settled neatly on her head.

Even as that head rested on Jack's lap.

Ashi and Adi slept on the cabin bed just across from Jack, asleep and ignorant to the moving world. The way a child's mind should be. It allowed Jack to slip a small smile about his face.

Too rare was it for the little ones to rest easily. He was thankful the remote vehicle, and desolate land, offered so much.

**SLAM**

But nothing lasted forever.

Any tension Jack had at the sudden opening of his door fled just as quickly as it appeared. He saw only another of his little ones in the door way, hand still on the sliding frame.

He was both disappointed, and unsurprised, to see Aki standing there.

"Dad," Jack turned in his seat, looking to see the unkempt hair of Aki. She was looking at him from a doorway, hands balled into fists and her usual look of anger. "Something's wrong." Jack's focus was swift.

"What is wrong?" Jack asked quietly, hands over Avi's ears. He saw the pair across from him squirm from their sister's loud words. Aki didn't glance towards them.

Instead, she crossed her arms and stared at him, brow furrowed and mouth puckered. It was very much her look.

"There ain't enough room for us." She spoke the sentence as a fact, though he was sure it was not. Jack sighed before he answered.

He had been with the little ones for two years. Two years he had watched them grow so much faster than he was aware life permitted. He knew how much room the children needed, and how important the space was.

Jack had made no mistake.

"There are two rooms," Jack noted simply. There were two rooms, and two chairs that could hold two people each. He had been given math instruction by the monks in his distant past, and he knew that meant enough for eight people.

Him and his seven little ones. Four chairs to cabin. And that was not to include the appropriate beds and floor space.

They were cabins meant for days travel, and so there was more than simply a pair of chairs.

"No there's not!" Aki raised her voice, causing her sisters to squirm. She shirked under Jack's glare. "I mean… Ami and Ahi keep trying to take up space with all their stuff, so me and Aphi are just stuck in the corners. It's not good.

Ah, Jack had considered that. But… perhaps he had underestimated the sisters.

"Ami keeps fiddling with those robot parts you busted up weeks ago, trying to make something again." Last time she had made a toaster, that had a music player on it. "And she just keeps adding onto it, which keeps pushing me up against the window." Her lack of space awareness was something to be noted.

"I see," Jack noted, keeping his voice low for the resting little ones. "And what of Ahi?"

"Ahi went out to the care and brought back, like, _all_ their food." Jack doubted it was all, but he could believe a portion far greater than any one child could eat, or seven even. "She has plates all around the cabin and is trying to figure out what's the best way to mix them. There's nowhere to step and the room smells like _fish_."

Perhaps Jack was wrong. Perhaps the room was too small for four twelve-year-old children.

"Ah, well… perhaps you could stay here for now, while I speak to your sisters." Jack slowly, and carefully, moved his hand to under Avi's head, giving it support as he slid out from underneath her. He didn't want to wake the resting child. "There is room in this cabin."

"Yeah, no kidding," Aki remarkedly in her aloof manner. Her spiky hair bounced with the thrash of her head, looking down the long hall of the train. "But no. I'm gonna go explore the rest of this train. Sides, I'm not tired like these wimps."

Jack frowned at the child, even as he stood to his tallest. She taller than before, of that there was no doubt. Past his waist in height, far better than his thighs like years before. But there was still a gap between the two.

But years had made the little ones indifferent to the height, and Aki most of all. She snorted as she left the doorway, walking down the hall and to another cart in the long train.

Jack sighed as she left. He little knowledge of what to do for the girl. Not even a hobby he could entertain or encourage. Exploring and mischief appeared to be her only outlets.

Yet, it was not a question he had to concern himself with now. If her words were true, he had to control the inquisitive natures of Ami and Ahi. Least before they rule the cabin.

Jack stepped softly from his room, leaving Ashi, Avi, and Adi to slumber. The door shut with hardly a click, and he was only steps away from the conjoining cabin.

Only a step closer and he could already hear the whirling gears and clacking plates. His hand on the door, Jack tapped it open, only far enough to gaze inside.

And he was immediately confronted with the sight of a room full of robotic parts and high-course meals. Where the children found or kept either was a mystery to him.

"Larger capacitors, much larger," Ami was muttering as she worked with a green board, lain over with wiring and many other parts Jack couldn't begin to name. "The power draw is too great. Regulation, _better_ regulation." And the terms she had learned were beyond him as well.

It was something special, yet odd, seeing the young bowl-cut child fiddling with tools that were meant for adults far older than her. But he was not one to squash the creativity or invention she was demonstrating.

Ahi, on the other hand, wasn't talking. She was tasting.

He could see twin-spike haired girl trying every dish she had brought in, just like Aki had said. There was a rainbow's worth of fish, meat platters with dressings he couldn't begin to name, salads, pastas, and even a few small desert trays.

And on nearby empty dishes, she was mixing them one by one, before shoveling them into her mouth. She was a connoisseur of taste, of that Jack was sure. Ever since she had tasted the salmon in the forest river, she had tried everything else that had been offered. It made for many stomach aches.

Aphi, just like Aki had said, was in the corner of the room, letting her legs swing on the higher bunkbed as she watched her sisters work. There wasn't a foothold of room for her to set down on. However, it was much like her to just watch her sisters.

Ashi was the one who took charge and protected her siblings, but Aphi was the child that often intervened. She watched and listened, always helping when asked, and hardly ever interfering. Jack would have thought it an ill trait, if she were not smiling as she watched them work.

A protective child letting the creative little one's work. It was thoughtful and kind.

But Aki was not the same. And, as was due for his post, Jack had to intervene.

Sliding the door open a bit further, the children inside looked up in an instant, staring at him with wide eyes. It was the clearest sign that they knew they were in trouble. Or, in the very least, up to little good.

"Ami, Ahi," he spoke the names of the little ones, their attention being given in an absolute manner. "What have talked about regarding room and your sisters?" The question hung in the air for a moment, silence kept away by the rattling of the train.

The two inventive sisters stared at one another, thinking of an answer to save them both. Two years and Jack knew none existed. So, did they.

"Leave room for everyone else?" Ahi posed it like a question, though she already knew the answer. Jack nodded at the words.

"Correct. And, do you believe there is enough room for Aki and Aphi?" Jack looked towards the other sister, sitting high in her bed and off the floor. Ami and Ahi did the same. The answer was just as obvious.

"No, there isn't," Ami returned. Jack nodded once more, his beard waving slightly with the motion.

"Correct. So, what should be done?" He crossed his arms and waited for a reply. He did not need to wait long.

"Clean up?" Ahi asked the question once again. Jack nodded his head once more.

"Please do." Jack responded. Neither Ami nor Ahi appeared happy with the command. But they spoke very little in the room of argument. They were merely slow with their tools.

Instead of the quick unloading that Jack was used to, pouring out machine parts and utensils, they put them away one by one, far slower than one would expect. It was their way of arguing with him. Jack far preferred it to Aki's loud words and avoidance behavior. On that note.

"Please finish by the time I return," Jack instructed the girls. They stopped to look at him, perhaps hopeful he would give them more time to play. He did not. "I need to find Aki." Before she got into more trouble.

"I can come!" Aphi spoke loudly, raising her head from the bunk bed. Jack didn't have time to speak before the little one pushed and jumped off the bed, clearing her sisters and landing in front of Jack. Just as tall as her siblings, identical as they all were.

Jack was unsurprised that she volunteered. Solitude and patience was not her greatest asset.

"Alright," Jack spoke with a nod. "And when we return, its off to bed." The dual-horned haired girl nodded in response, and Jack smiled down at her. "Ami, Ahi, be quick, or else I will keep your tools for the remainder of the train ride." It wasn't terror in their eyes, but certainly disappointment.

Jack moved out of the door's path, enough room for Aphi to pass by him. The inventive siblings had put away all of a fifth of their tools.

"We shall return shortly," Jack spoke again to the little ones, softly closing the door as he was finished. The little ones in the nearby cabin were still asleep. Too loud a noise would wake them.

In the hallway, Jack and Aphi stood outside the pair of cabins, one with a pair of siblings putting their toys and gadgets away, the other of three children sleeping restfully. It left only one child in the long locomotive to find.

Jack was not worried, only patient.

"Where should we start. The front or back?" He posed the question to Aphi, the girl always focused on her sisters. The little one looked down squeezing her fists as she thought.

"Um… back, the back." Aphi spoke clearly. She looked up to Jack as she answered. "She'll want to watch the back of the train, like in the motorcycle." Jack nodded at the logic. Aphi was one for these details.

"Very well," Jack answered. "Shall we be off?" He knew it wouldn't take long to find Aki. There weren't many places to hide in a train, no matter how long it was.

He was sure they would all be alright.

* * *

Aki knew the train ride would be boring, and she was right.

Only hours on the train and she had been saddled with Ami and Ahi while they played and poked around with their rotten food and broken robot parts. It took away literally every inch of the floor she could have walked on. Aphi was even up on her bed.

At least if she got to be in the same cabin as her dad she could have slept. There was no way she could sleep while the Ami and Ahi played house the whole night.

But since both options were out, that just meant she had to get out. At least the train was long and easy to explore.

To bad easy to explore meant the same thing as not much to find.

Just a long train with cabin after cabin of people, robots, and monsters huddled in their own little safe spaces. She couldn't help but scowl as she walked by them. All just acting like they were safe. She knew the truth though, even if her sisters wouldn't say it.

At least her dad would fight when they came across trouble, and the more they moved the more trouble they found. It made more sense that way. Yet, for some reason, they were on a train, which was the exact opposite way to travel and find trouble.

_Bam_

Aki kicked a door as she walked past it, shoving it into the slot it slid into. She ignored the looks of annoyance the other passengers gave her. They didn't get it. They were here for comfort, no matter how stupid it was to have.

The world was dark, evil, and out to get them, but the least she knew they could do was fight back. How were they supposed to fight back on a train? Ami even explained how these things were made to be safer to travel. It was easily the _worst_ way to travel.

And every cabin she passed just made it more obvious.

A long gourmet shop, that Ahi _definitely_ got into, probably with more food than they caught and ate in a _month_.

A long train section of just windows, like only windows. Probably made for some great sight-seeing her dad and Ashi would enjoy. Adi would probably have a lot of questions, too.

Looking down the front end of the train, she could see all the locomotive parts that Ami probably would want to at least _look_ at.

And that wasn't even to mention all the dumb people and monsters that were wearing more clothing than most stores even carried. Avi would probably like it, and Aphi too, but Aki didn't.

All she wanted was to _fight_ something. At least then she knew she was _doing_ something. Sitting in a cramped room with her sisters playing with their stuff while she twiddled her thumbs was just stupid. And she hated it.

She hated the train, she hated the passengers, she hated the empty land, the do-nothing journey, and everything in between. Aki just hated it. And all her dad was doing was acting like it was perfect. Least he had better be acting. Aki couldn't act though, it was like lying.

The least she could do, and really all she could do, was explore. Because the more she explored, the greater chance she had of finding something, anything, that would make this a less boring trip.

Passing through the tenth cab in the train and she was starting to believe that it wasn't going to happen. Everyone here really was a wuss. Locked doors, metal bars, fancy food, too fancy dresses, and just a lot of pointless stuff.

There was no fighting, or planning, or trying to do anything. And it was all just a waste.

And sooner than she knew it, she was at the back of the train, staring out at the train tracks in the empty land. Aki grumbled as she stared at it.

The guard rails came up to her chin, and her head rested on it as her eyes glared at the chasing horizon. Black cloud of burning coal passed over head, and empty dead lands ran by her sides. And all the while, the train shook.

It shook like it was trying to throw itself of the track, and Aki could relate. Having to go in just one direction day in and day out with a bunch of lazy cowardly people and monsters riding inside. It just didn't make any sense to her.

Where was the adventure? The fighting? The purpose? It just wasn't here!

"This is stupid," she mumbled out to no one. There wasn't anyone to listen. "What's the point of traveling if there's nothing to see?"

At least when they were on her dad's motorcycle the usually got to see some cool stuff. Mountains that were white and blue instead of red, oceans farther than she could imagine, a desert oasis that had more color than she thought were in the woods, and everything in between.

Including the fighting.

Monsters, robots, mad people, aliens, anything and everything that thought they could just take what they want when her dad was around. They never stood a chance, and it was always awesome to see. It was even better to help.

Even as she imagined it, Aki gripped the guard rail like it was the lance her father used. Twisting it for the spikes to come out, revving the internal engine to spin, flipping it over her head and throwing it like a spear. She wished she was as awesome as her dad, at least when he was fighting.

All she had to do was kick, punch, dodge, block, do a summersault, push her hand forward, then throw it back to hit the enemy sneaking up on her and-

_Smack_ "Whoa!"

Aki jumped.

There wasn't much room in the back of the cab car, but just enough for her to jump forward to the opposite side of the small platform. She got to the other side, body pushing against the guard rail that kept her from falling, and turned back to look at what she had hit, fists up and ready to throw some more.

But she didn't see anyone threatening. Not like the monsters her dad had fought. Just someone.

Just some guy in a button up shirt too plain for her tastes and a pair of glasses so thick they looked like they weighed his face down. That wasn't even to mention the fact that his pants looked baggier than Ami's pack and just as hard to carry.

Really, he looked like a wimp. Like the people who were weak. The red skin was the only thing about him that looked threatening, but metal would've been much better than that.

"Geez, you almost hit me there," the man spoke up leaning back despite the distance between the two. Aki looked at her hand. Yeah, she had, but the guy was at least two feet taller than her. He must've have been really weak to be afraid of her.

Guess he was smart at least.

"Swinging your arms around like that, you must feel as cooped up as I do." Aki tilted her head at that. "Tried to come out here for some fresh air and I find a kid so pent up she's punching the air."

"I wasn't punching the air," Aki countered, crossing her arms. Her dad always did that when he was making a point. She and her sisters listened. _People_ listened to him when he did that. "I was just… working out a kink in my arm."

"Must've been a heck of a kink," the guy returned. He rolled his head around his shoulders, the same was Dad did in the mornings.

Except this guy was able to bend his neck until his head was upside down. So, he wasn't human. Maybe an alien, maybe a monster.

"Shouldn't you be doing that kind of stuff in your own cabin? There's plenty of room for that." Aki twisted her lips at the idea.

"No, there isn't." She countered easily. "There's no room when you share a room with all your sisters." All your sisters and all their stuff. Every single scrap of it.

"Huh, must have a lot of sisters." Nope, just a lot of stuff. "But I guess that makes you, like, the reasonable at least. I mean, you're not just hanging in your room and doing nothing the whole trip."

Aki watched him, twisting around at the waist. His legs didn't move. Maybe he was a robot instead. It was always hard to tell until her dad hit them. He could at least tell what they were, most of the time.

"I just gotta get from A to B faster than usual, so I take the train. Still takes too long." His fingers beat on the guard rail, tapping down the line like they were piano keys. Aki saw a pianist do the same thing before, but there wasn't music now. "Too cozy for too many people, you know what I mean?"

Aki didn't think she did. She was sure most people wanted cozy. It was why her dad got them two rooms at least. So, its wasn't cramped.

Ami and Ahi just wanted less cozy and more work. Avi may like cozy, so Aphi would probably help her out. Her dad, not usually, at least not so much.

"But hey, I got an idea!" The man twisted back around, a smile on his face. Honestly, it wasn't the weirdest thing she'd seen. A lot of people and aliens, and some monsters, smiled like that. "How about you help me do some exploring. Best way to keep the mind active, ya know?"

Aki blinked at that. He knew how to explore on a train? That was like _exactly_ what she wanted. Down to the letter.

"Ah, I can tell you like that idea." The red man pointed at her. His finger spun around like it was a drill that Ami would use. "Tell ya what. I'll be heading out that way, so you can follow me if you want to join, kay?" That was an easy choice.

"I'll come," Aki spoke up quickly. There wasn't much else to do but walk around the train or watch her sisters work. If this guy knew somewhere they could explore, then that would be good.

She knew her dad would do the same thing.

"Excellent!" The man's hands clapped together, upside down. "Well, how about we get started? I bet there's something fun to find in the first-class cabins?"

Aki had to admit, she hadn't gone there yet.

* * *

"I don't think she's been here." Ashi spoke to Jack as they checked the third cabin. He knew she was right.

There were several finely dressed robots inside, granted mobility due to a set of wheels and wearing gowns of colorful metals, adorned with precious stones and jewels. They spoke in the language that he could not understand, not without Ami's help.

And with their numbers just under a dozen, talking with beeps and long strings of boops, it made for the impression of being inside a computer.

It was one of the last places Aki would be, at least by choice.

"I agree," Jack spoke as he slid the door close. The little one walked ahead of him, arms swinging as they made their way to the next cabin. They needed to check all the areas that they could.

Though Aki was most likely at the end of the train, she was the most likely child to explore every part of the train along the way. The chances were only much higher if there was something interesting to see.

Thankfully or not, rooms of fine decorum were not what Aki enjoyed the most. So, they could keep exploring. At least until they found the child.

Though the halls of the cabs were small, Aphi and Jack walked one in front of the other. Enough room to open the doors, look inside, and guess if it was a place that Aki would enjoy searching. There had not been much luck so far.

"Maybe she's at the very back of the train," Ashi spoke as they continued to walk, reaching the back door of the cab car. Jack nodded at the thought.

It was a very possible thought, especially given the girl's need to explore. She was the least enthusiastic about the train, much opposite Ami, Ahi, and Adi. Perhaps wit would have been better to try and gain a third room for her and Aphi.

Or perhaps he should have had Ashi share the room with Ami, Ahi and Aphi, and have Aki with him, Adi, and Avi. The thought only made him sigh.

There were simply too many maybes when caring for so many littles one, all so alike and yet so radically different from one another.

"Not here, either," Aphi spoke as she opened and closed the door to another room. Jack was able to peek inside, and he agreed with the child.

Aki would not willingly enter a room so pink and with children younger than herself. She liked adventure, not responsibility. The two could not have been more different from one another.

Opening the cab door, stepping across the thin frame, Jack and Aphi entered the next cabin. Entering inside, Jack knew they were beyond the personal cabins.

The room was too open and full of too many passengers to be anything else than a meeting room. Perhaps a mobile ball room if Jack were to guess. The passengers, diverse as they were, certainly seemed that way.

Robots that had gowns ranging from fine silk to died metal, aliens with ribbons, bags, and perhaps their own hair to cover them, humans with skin colored the many options from the rainbow, and even a few monsters, or those that appeared equal to them.

They were walking and chatting about the room, small conversations in small groups, moving like a dance that Jack could follow only with high concentration. Almost fifty years in the dark future and he still couldn't understand fully the decorum of meetings such as this.

"Dad, look!" Jack looked down at Aphi, pulling on the edges of his shirt and pointing into the cramped room. His eyes followed her, squinting as he did so.

And there he saw Aki, weaving between the much taller bodies of the other passengers. Her frame was obvious, as much as her clothes. Clothing that bore the mark of their travels, not the fine upkeep these passengers all had.

But it was what Aki was doing that horrified Jack. It was something he was sure the child would never do, never around him or her sisters. Something he was sure she was taught to never try.

She was stealing.

Searching through the room with palms like a child lost in the streets, touching the side of the dresses and gowns with a touch Jack recognized. It was just not a movement he had ever taught Aki, and for good reason.

He never wanted the girls to learn how to steal.

Many questions went through his mind, all as he watched the little one move. He knew they had far from the ideal life, but he was sure that they were without desperate need. Money was not a thing they needed in great quantity, and certainly not by such immoral means.

But as she moved, Jack saw the clue for her actions. The smile on her lips as she reached into the pocket folds of dress, never missing a step as she walked by with a leather purse in her hands. Only to do the same action with the opposite hand, into the lapels of a suit coat and pulling out a metal ring of credits.

And she was smiling.

Jack had many actions to take as he kept his eyes on Aki, watching the little one move so easily and act so oddly. This wasn't the child he had raised for two years, not one so different than her fellow sisters.

He could stop her, but then expose her to the many people in the train. They would vilify her, and he could not stand for that.

He could wait for her to finish, and follow her. But the train was crowded and Aki was small. He could possibly lose her again.

Then he could also ask Aphi to follow her sister. It was what the twin horned girl did best, follow and care for her sisters. She and Avi were in tuned with what their sisters wanted, or needed.

But asking another little one to venture away from him, even in the limited space of the train, was something he was not kind to think of.

So, he waited, watching as his little one committed petty theft after another. It was not something he could watch and think calmly of. He frowned as he watched her, hating every moment of it.

And what he wanted now was the ability to stop the little one from doing any more wrong.

Then she did, with arms full of wallets, purses, and stones too big for her to any dress she could wear. And with lithe grace, as eh knew the little ones to be blessed with, she moved to the end of the cabin car, to the windows nearby.

She stopped in front of a red skinned man, with a button up shirt and thick frames, smiling down at her.

And then she handed the many stolen items over to him, the man taking them one by one, letting them disappear into folds of his clothing.

"Who is that?" It was question Jack shared himself. But if there another question on mind, Jack asked what he was going to do the individual.

Because he was not about to let a corrupter of children walk away with a smile.

* * *

"How's this?" Aki asked the man, holding up her hull.

And a hull is what it was. In no time she had nabbed more purses and wallets than she'd seen before in her entire life. Maybe all of two years of her life, but she traveled a lot with her family. Who knew there was so much to find in such a cramped space?

"That's amazing!" The red-skinned man replied, grinning beneath his thick shades, yellow teeth shining in the crowded light. "I'd dare to say you're a natural at this. Are you a natural? Never met one before me."

Aki giggled at that, even as the man picked up and pocketed each of the items she had. He had a lot more rom to carry them, seeing as he was putting them in places she couldn't imagine. Adi might know a reason for it, but Aki just didn't care.

At least he wasn't spinning his parts around like before.

"Now, since you've about cleared out this room, how 'bout we go to the next cab?" The man's hand spun around and pointed towards the door, upside down. So much for not spinning his parts. "I hear that's where their food is being served, so it'll be interesting to see how can handle a crowd trying to choke themselves."

"I can handle it," Aki responded confidently. She knew she could. She wasn't weak and she was far from slow. The man chuckled down at her.

"Don't worry, I know you can." His hand came down to rest on her head, probably to mess with her already messy hair. And just like she did with her dad, she lowered her head and shut her eyes

But she never felt the man's hand on her head.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" The man asked, making Aki blink. She looked up, only to see that he wasn't looking at her, and someone else was grabbing his arm. She recognized that hand.

And looked up, she recognized that beard.

"Dad?" She spoke, seeing her dad staring at the man. "Aphi?" Aki questioned next, seeing her overly-protective sibling standing behind her dad's legs. Even she was glaring up at the man.

"No, who are you?" Her dad asked the man. "And what are you doing with her?" Wait, she could answer that.

"Dad, we're-"

"Pillaging the masses without them knowing, of course." Aki looked up at the man she was exploring with, wide eyed. "Isn't it obvious? I mean, you must have been watching us, right?" He was? They were?

Aki looked at her dad, then the red-skinned man, then her sister, and then all three once again. She didn't know what to do.

"And hey, is this your kid?" The red-skinned man asked, looking down at Aki through the rim of his heavy glasses. Aki didn't like the look now. It looked... fake. "Has to be, she's got all the knack I've heard you got."

Did he know her dad? Did her dad know him? Aki looked at him, but her dad just glared at the man, even through the heavy the beard he wore and her lower position, she could tell he was glaring at him. She knew her dad was mad.

"Course, all I got on you is decades old talk from the big man." Big who? Aki was looking between her dad and the red-skinned man quickly. She didn't know what was going on anymore.

This wasn't fun, and she knew her dad wasn't happy. She just wanted this to stop.

"After all, it's been a while since you've seen Aku."

Aki felt heavy at the name.

She knew that name. It was the name her mother screamed and praised for all those years. It was the monument in the Red Mountain. It was everything she was told to be, and everything her father was keeping her and her sisters from being.

It was evil, vile, malicious, corrupting, awful, bad bad _bad bad!_

And this man… talked to it?

"Whoa there!" The red-skinned man yelled. Aki didn't know why, not until she saw her dad punch at him.

And then dent the wall the man was leaning against.

"Man, you've got an arm on you!" The man kept talking, and smiling. Aki felt sicker now. "But hey, bit too crowded in here. Why don't we talk up top?" Up where?

Aki had that question answered when the man jumped out the window. His body twisted and spun in the naturally ill natural way he did, pulling him and on the roof. Aki heard him walking on the metal above them.

Then she saw her dad jumping through the window as well, hands and legs pulling him up and out of sight. Then her sister followed, Aphi mimicking their dad to a T.

Aki hesitated for a moment, only a moment, before she followed suit. Jumping on a chair, up the window, grabbing the upper sill, then swinging her body over the metal frame. She was light and it was easy.

But the wind was fast and hit hard.

She pushed herself to the metal of the cabin roof, to keep herself from being blown off. Aphi was doing much the same, her sister putting an arm around her in the same motion. Aki didn't fight her off, she was too busy looking for her dad and the man.

It didn't take long to find them, standing across from one another on the platform.

"Are you an assassin of Aku?" Her dad yelled, pointing at the red-skinned man. Aki felt sick at the name, just hearing it. She couldn't tell why.

"Yup, that's me!" The red-skinned man smiled as he confirmed the accusation, grinning with a smile Aki never saw on him before. It wasn't weak or meek, it was _terrifying_. "Gentle-Jim, the gentle soul. Glad to meet you, Samurai."

He bowed at her dad, like she knew he would. She could even guess how he spun around with the action, so his chest was facing up while his hips were bent down. It just hurt to look at, even with him smiling at them.

"And I have to say, I never thought you'd be gentle enough to raise a pair of kids, Samurai," the man spoke on, even as his body straightened and untwisted itself. "Then again, maybe not. Seeing as one of them was so eager to listen to me."

Aki gripped her hands into fists as the man laughed. That wasn't it. She just wanted to explore. It wasn't like that at all.

"Be silent," her dad spoke again, taking a pose she'd seen hundreds of times before now. Legs bent, arms in, and hands straightened into striking palms. "Now begone, or else I will force you."

"Now now, no need for violence," the man, Jim, Aki guessed, raised his hands with the words. "I'd much rather solve this with gentler means. Like, say, with me leaving with my limbs in tact and you handling a much more _volatile_ situation."

Aki didn't understand what he meant. From the what her dad moved on the train cab, feet dragging over the metal, neither did he. That was usually a bad sign, when her dad didn't understand something.

"What are you referring to?" Her dad asked.

"I'm _referring_ to the bomb I hide while I was exploring with Aki." She felt her heart drop.

She had _no_ idea the man did that. At all. She'd seen what bombs did, dozens of times. Her dad had thrown them off of cliffs, defused them, ripped them apart, because they hurt people, _badly_.

Aphi stared at her as well, eyes wide and gripping her arm. Aki just shook her head. She had _no_ idea, she really didn't.

"So, while you're _exploring_ the train, I'll be on my way." Jim stood to his tallest, still shorter than her dad, with his arms spread out wide in his buttoned shirt and malicious smile.

Then he took one long step towards the edge of the train, foot spinning around the leg it was attached to. Aki knew what was going to happen before the second step.

"Toddles, Samurai. Later, Aki!" The man jumped from the train.

Her dad took off after him, stopping at the edge. Aki and Aphi didn't move as far. They both ran to the nearest edge of the cabin roof, seeing the man rolling in the dirt already hundreds of yards away. The train was big and slow, but it still moved faster than just a walk.

Unless they jumped, they weren't going to catch him. But with what he had said, she knew her dad wasn't even going to try.

"Aki!" Her dad was on her quicker than she had seen him move. His eyes bore down on her, furrowed in focus. She ducked her head at the glare. "Where is it? Where is the bomb?"

"I-I don't know!" She yelled back, honestly. "I don't! I followed him! I swear!" She really did, too.

She didn't want anyone to get hurt. No one was supposed to be hurt. You went exploring to find trouble and adventure, not to cause it. This was causing it in a big way, and Aki hated it.

"H-He just showed me some of the cabins a-and the coal room a-a-and I don't know!" She was shaking, violently. This wasn't her fault, it couldn't be. She didn't want anyone to get hurt. Ever.

Her dad released her, standing up and walking the roof of the cab car. Aphi held Aki from behind, and she dug herself into the embrace. This wasn't fair. This wasn't right. She just wanted to find something fun. She didn't want this.

"I didn't want this," Aki spoke again, clutching at her own arms. "I didn't, I didn't."

"It's okay," Aphi whispered to her. Aki didn't fight off her sister's hug. She felt like she needed it. "It's not your fault, it isn't." She needed that lie, too.

"Aphi, Aki," her dad spoke to her. Aki was focused on him in an instant. "Return back inside, awaken your sisters, now." No, she couldn't do that.

"I-I can help!" Aki yelled, even above the wind. She felt her sister hug her tighter. "I-I mean, I know where he went a-and-" She was silenced by her dad putting a hand to her shoulder, just under Aphi's hand.

"Then where, Aki?" her dad asked, his eyes narrowed and focused. On her. "Where did you go with him?"

Aki rambled the names as fast as she could.

"E-Every coach and cabin from the back of the train. He showed me how to pen the windows that were supposed to stay locked and how to keep a door shut and how to pick a pocket. He showed me the trunk with the luggage and even pulled out one to show how to tell which one had the most valuables in it and-"

"Stop." Her dad spoke, and Aki obeyed. She didn't want to make him any madder. "Aki, can you show me the luggage he touched?"

Her eyes widened, before nodding her head vigorously.

Without waiting for a word from her dad or Aphi, Aki broke out of her sister's hug. With the rushing wind, she ran across the metal roofs of the cabin cars. Her father and sister were right behind her.

They jumped over the gap between the cars, paying no attention to safety or time. Aki didn't know if they had any, and wasting either would only make her dad more upset. That was something she couldn't risk.

Second cabin from the end, right where she was with _Jim_ , Aki knew it was the right car. She jumped quickly, grabbing the thin metal railing on the cabin's top, letting her swing in through an open window. She rolled over the luggage, landing with the same dexterity she was taught to in the mountain. Her dad and sister weren't far behind. She didn't wait for them.

Her eyes looked over the car, up and down for everything _Jim_ had touched. It was darker inside, but she could still see. Enough to recognize the tall cases, the darker felt ones, metal trunks, wooden chests, triple locked suitcases, and everything else in there.

But then her eyes laid on the one that _Jim_ had told her was extremely valuable, something that she shouldn't shake.

The long black suitcase with a single zipper around its edge. That was the one.

"That one!" Aki yelled, pointed at the case in question. "He used that one!"

"Are you sure?" Her dad asked. She was made he asked, hurt that he asked, but she knew why he asked. Because he was careful, and she wasn't'. So, she could answer him.

"Yeah! He said not to shake it because it could have a lot of fragile valuables in there!" Now she knew just what was so valuable. A part of her almost wanted to kick the case. She didn't need to be as smart Adi to know that was a bad idea.

Neither did her dad.

He lunged over her, much taller frame making quick work of the distance between him and the case. He lifted it up, holding he case under his chin gritting his teeth. Aki watched him, stared as he motioned his head left, over and over.

And when she looked, she saw a door. She knew what it meant. So, did Aphi.

The pair of sisters were by the cabin door in a breath of air, hands on the latch and pulling at the heavy metal frame. And heavy was the word to use. They weren't like their dad, big, tall, and invincible. Even if they were better than the cowards and the monsters, they weren't that strong.

But right now, they had to be. Strong enough to move the metal shutter and help get rid of the bomb. There wasn't any reason not to be.

With a shuddering clank, one that make Aki's bones shake, the door began to slide open. And, like Ami once pointed out, once something started moving, it was easy to keep it moving.

Aphi and Aki pulled at the latch, not stopping until the door hit its limit and the open wall let air rush in. Aki squinted her eyes at the sudden force. But not so much to miss what happened next.

Her father, took two mighty steps towards the open door. Swinging his body, he threw the luggage out the door. It rushed past with the wind, out of sight quickly.

But Aki leaned out the door, watching the pack bounce across the desolate land like a pebble thrown across water. It danced once, twice, thrice…

**BOOOOOM**

"Gah!" She felt her grip slip, her body falling forward, and out of the cabin.

Only to have her father grab her by the arm. Before she could even blink, Aki was back inside. In just as much time, the door was shut by her father, treating the heavy metal clasp like the door to their personal cabin.

Then, it was done. It was just them. Aki, her sister, and her dad, all sitting in the luggage compartment. Alone. She took a long slow breath of air, her heart still pumping.

That was so close. So close to making one of the biggest mistakes she'd ever made. A mistake her dad might not have forgiven her for. She'd seen how mad he was, the glaring eyes and lack of patience. It was… hard.

She looked at him, his own eyes shut and taking calm breaths of air.

Aki looked away when he looked at her. She knew what was coming now. A scolding. She hated those.

"Aki," her dad spoke to her, kneeling down in front of her. She hated when he did that. It reminded her of how small she was. "Why did you do what he asked?" Because she was bored. Because she wanted to explore.

"Because," Aki started, trying to think of what to say next. Nothing good came to mind though. She wasn't Ashi. She wasn't good at talking to dad. "Because it was fun."

"Aki, no," her dad spoke again. She felt herself frown, closing her eyes tightly. "What you did was wrong, harmful even. The very fact that Aku's men enjoy it is proof that it is not something to indulge in."

"So, what?" Aki asked again. She refused to look at her dad. "It was better than just sitting in a cabin all day, on this boring trip in this boring train."

She knew why she did it. Because it was fun. And having fun was a lot better than sitting around and doing nothing for several days. Why was her dad so against that?

"Aki," her dad spoke again, but she didn't look at him. She kept her eyes shut and mouth shut. "Aki, please," her dad asked again. Aki didn't look at him.

He'd just say something mean to her, something along the lines of how she wasn't doing the right thing and that was just awful. Maybe that she was weak, maybe that she should be better.

Maybe he'd be just like their mother.

"Aki, please look at me." Great, it was _that_ voice, the same way he spoke when he was comforting Ashi's nightmares or Ami's wounds. "Aki, I need to speak to you."

She pursed her lips, _hating_ the way he spoke like that. It was always after she did something wrong, and she _hated_ that. But still, it wasn't like she could just ignore her dad forever. It hadn't worked last time.

"Aki, I am disappointed in you," her dad spoke, just like she knew he would. "But far more than that, I am worried for you."

Aki felt her lips twitch. That wasn't what she expected. She had done something bad, so shouldn't she be punished, like all the monsters and robots they had seen before?

But she felt her focus on him strengthen when he put both hands on her shoulders. Now there really was no where else for her to look.

"Aki," he spoke her name again, for like the millionth time. "I do not know what you need." And Aki honestly had no idea how to feel about that. It was weird, really weird. Probably because she knew what everyone else needed.

Even Aphi, over dad's shoulder was staring at her as she leaned against the wall. She didn't look happy either.

"I know what your sisters need," her dad continued. "Ami needs tools to work, Ahi loves to have new food and dishes to try, Adi wants to read and understand about the world, Avi needs to make everything look its best, Aphi wants to protect her sisters, and Ashi wants to help you all be stronger." That was about it.

Aki could tell he was right, too. Especially the way Aphi was blushing. Small mystery about her sisters either, seeing as they knew what they wanted. That just made her all the worse.

Only the weak didn't know what they needed.

"You, Aki, need something that I don't know if I can find." Aki stared at him, watching his beard moved as he frowned. "You are gifted with so much talent, so much skill, and I don't know what I can do to make you happy."

Now that made her mad. She knew what she wanted, _exactly_ what she wanted. She wanted to explore, to try new thing, to do something, _anything_ other than being cooped up inside.

"I know you enjoy to explore." Aki's eyes widened. Maybe he did know. "But you don't explore to find new things alone. You want to find bad things, because you want to stop them." Jack felt her arms relax.

Maybe… her dad really did get her. At least he knew why she was doing these things.

"We travel and find bad things, yes," her dad spoke on. "But we do not go looking for these things. These things find us, because they are trying to corrupt good things." Well, that made sense as well.

At least it made sense when she thought of the creep. Gentle-Jim sure didn't go gently. Her dad, on the other hand, wasn't being violent at all.

"You, Aki, are a good thing in this world. Eager, talented, but still so young," he spoke gently to her, hand cupping her cheek. She didn't push it away. It felt nice. "It is why I wish to see you grow in the best of ways. Grow through protecting others, not seeking to punish the few."

Aki thought she got it. At least, she was sure she did.

"There will be times you make mistakes, you and your sisters." He looked at Aphi now, over his shoulder. Her sister looked at him as well. Aki didn't get it. Aphi was just being herself, and she didn't almost kill everyone on the train. "But I am here to help you. No matter the mistakes you make, I will help you solve them."

Then he looked back at her, and even with his thick beard, Aki could tell he was smiling.

"You never have to feel alone with me, Aki, ever." And she believed him.

She believed her dad was her for her, and she didn't want to convince herself of anything else. He wasn't a stupid gentle soul guy. He was just her dad.

Her dad, Samurai Jack.

"O-Okay," she finally admitted. "I will, promise." And she nodded to seal her point. She could feel the longer points of her hair shaking with the motion.

"Very good. Now come along Aki," her dad spoke, taking her hand in his. She loved over to see he had done the same to Aphi, her sister smiling at her as well. "There are still days to go on this trip, and I am sure we have much to talk about."

Aki groaned again, even as her sister giggled. She was wrong. This wasn't going to be boring.

It was going to be torture.


	6. Jack and the Bomber Man

Forty-three years had passed.

Forty years of pain and torment, of failure and sorrow. Yet, followed by three years of patience and discipline, of love and understanding.

They were years that held memories that did not keep Jack awake at night, dreams that did not frighten his soul. They were peaceful years in an unpeaceful time. A time where he could rest without fear of the next day, and where the nights were not something to be regretful for.

His days were filled in those years with caring for the little ones that followed him closely. His nights were a time to relax as they slept, usually. Days and nights filled with them and helping them as the future marched on.

For now, forty-three years since he had been flung into Aku's future, they were in a desert town, far from any natural oasis or other settlement. It was a town filled not with industry or homes, but a bazaar that frequently changed with the wind.

Only a few buildings dotted the town, tall things that appeared to be ancient spires more than carefully designed dwellings. It only confirmed for Jack and Adi that this was a town that had come up from convenience, not need.

More so, it was a town of robots and machines, not of aliens and life. So as such, it was rather difficult to find what he and the little ones needed.

In this case, food.

"Do you have food for humans?" Jack asked the umpteenth bazaar merchant he had found, a robot that was cloaked in so many rags that only its rugged vehicle like eyes could be seen.

"Searching for possible parameters, searching," the robot began, eyes flashing a multitude of colors as he did so. "Negative, no items designated for biological consumption are present." Jack sighed at the confirmation.

"I see," he began, nodding respectfully towards the merchant. "Thank you for your patience." The samurai turned as he finished, looking into the dense crowd with a soft sigh.

The size was what threw him off the most. Robots were huddled together in a way that only they were unaffected by. Even in the other human towns and shops so similar to this, humans and aliens alike so often wished to have space to move. These robots did not have the same problem. They did not mind walking foot and foot or wheel and wheel synchronized with one another.

It was a quality they possessed that left Jack taking slow and deliberate steps through the crowd, making sure not to have his feet, layered as they were, stepped on by the metal creatures. It certainly did not help that his beard, long and untamed, made the harsh heat all the harder to bear.

So with a heat of the desert, crowd of robots, and shortage of food, Jack found the need to search the Bazaar quickly necessary. So the little ones, though quickly growing with the years that passed, paired up and left.

Ahi and Aki, perhaps the most likely pair to find the food and understand how to prepare it, searched on one end of the busy town.

Ami and Aphi, the more mechanically inclined and most likely to hold a conversation, searched another.

Avi and Adi, the pair of knowledgeable and inquisitive siblings, looked in another corner.

That left Jack with Ashi, sitting currently on his shoulders and searching the crowd high above his own vision.

Though she had grown like her sisters, all of them nigh-equal in height and appearance, she still was far shorter than he was. Legs swinging down his chest, hands steadying themselves by his shoulders, he was sure she was feet above his vision now.

"Do you see anything, Ashi?" Jack asked, looking up at the little one. He could already tell her eyes were about the Bazaar as well, clear and focused as she always appeared.

"I see Ahi and Aki, further in that direction," her hand pointed out above Jack's head, needing only a glance upwards to see. The 'eldest' of the little ones were indicating a far-off stand, different from the others only by the merchant that stood behind it.

Just barely, above the numerous robots, he made out the dark hair of Ahi and Aki, likely standing on the edge of the stall or pushing themselves up from it. The merchant did not seem to mind.

"I don't think they are having any more luck than we are." Jack nodded at her words. Ashi understood her sisters well, knowing what they were thinking before he could even ask. It was quality he envied in the little one, as only too often he wished he could understand what bothered the little ones so often.

"Ashi," Jack asked again, moving slowly through the crowd, yet quick as he could. "Do you see the others?" He would leave her to look for them. It was his job to look for food.

"I think so. I believe I see Adi and Avi." She twisted on his shoulders, body bending in a direction Jack could not follow.

He twisted on his feet, moving as the little one did above him. Amongst the crowded robots that either knocked at his feet or scrapped by his shoulders, it was a difficult dance to keep.

"There," Ashi spoke tapping on his head. He followed her arm again, pointing outwards towards one of the few buildings not made of assembled wood or convenient steel. Still, the little ones were far more important than any building.

And Jack saw the pair of them, the ribbon-wearing Avi and bob-cut Adi standing, doubtlessly this time, on a platform beside the building. Between the myriad of robots that marched by it was easy to miss them. But once he saw the, Jack recognized something quickly.

They were waving.

"I think they found something," Ashi added on. Unneeded, but appreciated. "But… I don't think it's food." That was good to know.

"Thank you, Ashi," Jack spoke as he made his way towards the sisters. When they saw his approach, their arms fell, waiting patiently by the large building.

It was a trek that should not have taken too long, but the crowd of robots, beings made of metal and rigid steel, made movement far more restricted than Jack would have ever preferred. Perhaps it was a benefit to the children they were small and able to climb.

It kept them out of the crowd.

"Dad!" Adi spoke when he entered ear shout. The smile on her face showed great pride. She had indeed found something. "Dad! Avi and I found information!" That was… very general. "He's a robot that knows a _bunch_ of things about the Bazaar, and its history and stuff. _He's_ the guy to ask about it." General, but very interesting.

Jack looked through the window the pair of sisters stood by, looking in to see another robot standing beyond the counter. He was not raggedly dressed like the other robots, though far from the sleek metal that made up a great deal of Aku's minions.

He was made of several sheets of metal, welded together as best as could be imagined to create a face and body. It appeared like stitching about his form, but it still was far studier in appearance than the rags and loose clothes other members of the Bazaar wore.

His eyes drifted up, past Ashi's hands, to see read the sign that hung above the window.

** Information Kiosk **

"He's supposed to allow… um, other robots to _download_ information." Jack turned to Avi, the younger girl, pointing out the robot's presence. "But he's been very patient with us, answering our questions as well. Jack nodded in understanding.

"Excellent job," Jack congratulated the sisters. Avi grinned in satisfaction as Adi beamed with pride. He turned his attention to the attendant of the kiosk, the robot staring back at him through holes for eyes.

"Hello sir," the robot mechanically replied. "Welcome to the Bazaar. Is there any information I may assit you with?" A simple and practiced question. Ami once told him older or worn robots had fewer introductions due to less memory.

He didn't understand what she meant at the time. Only over the months since then did he understand she meant they all sounded very similar to one another. And, often, tended to repeat.

"Good evening," Jack began to the new merchant, face placed and made of welded steel. "Do you have any food for humans?"

"Negative, no human food supplies present in Bazaar." Jack nodded at the expected answer. Disappointing, yet expected. "Do you have other inquires regarding the Bazaar?" In truth nothing immediately came to mind.

"Dad, we already asked that," Adi spoke up from beside him. "It was one of the first things we asked." Jack gave her a hard look. He was wrong for believing she wouldn't ask, but she was wrong for speaking so brazenly in front of others.

"Well, we did… after _Adi_ asked a dozen questions about these old buildings." Avi followed up. Jack turned his gaze to her. Unlike her sister, the girl was meek quickly. "Th-They were good questions, just… not before food."

"Yeah, I did," Adi spoke up again. Jack looked back to her. "Course, it was _after_ you asked if there was anywhere to get other clothes!" Perhaps not the most important question either, Jack agreed, but certainly far from unneeded.

"I-I only asked because we have been wearing the same clothes for weeks now!" In truth, yes, but they had washed them when they could. Though Avi did enjoy new garments often. "A-And if we're in the desert… we'll _need_ new clothes." Jack did not intend to move through the desert for so long.

"If that excuse works, then me asking about the history is important, too!" Jack did not know how. He knew he would soon find out. "How else are we going to know where to go unless we know why places like this are here?" Jack knew the little ones well.

Just as he knew he didn't need to say anything for them to stop fighting. There was another for that.

"Enough!"

The pair of siblings stopped and looked above Jack, at their 'elder' sister. Perhaps not in age, but in all else, Ashi was their elder.

"We need to find food first, then we can ask about other things. Agreed?" Jack could feel the sister looking at Avi and Adi, the pair relenting easily under the pressure.

"Yeah." "Y-Yes." Truly a leader, as Jack knew she was.

Though, unintentional as it was, the arguing did give Jack a new idea. Though clearly not designed for humans or aliens to visit, Jack found it unlikely they were the only ones to ever search the Bazaar. Perhaps there were others who came before them.

"Excuse me?" Jack spoke again to the kiosk robot, the little ones stopping to listen to him. "Have there been other… humans that have passed through here?"

"Affirmative," the robot responded. Though not the question he wanted more, it was still good to hear. "The last group of humans to travel through the Bazaar did so approximately 238 days prior." Though that was perhaps too long ago.

"Who were they?" Adi followed up before Jack could think of a new question. Her inquisitive mind was clearly at the forefront. "Sorry, no… where they looking for something here? Or out there?"

"… Records indicate the humans were searching for unused deposits of copper and iron oxide." That was telling to Jack. It told that the humans were looking for goods, but not willing to steal what was convenient. In other words, they were good people.

"What… did they wear?" Avi followed up next. "Was there anything they wore that was… common between them? A pattern they all wore."

"… … … Brief analysis indicates each member of the human party wore some plaid uniform of varying designs, most often rolled fabric approximately 250-300 millimeters in length." Jack did not understand much of that, but he understood one part more than the others.

Plaid was the style the Scotsman often wore. IT was adorned across all his clansmen. Men, and daughters.

"Did anybody accompany them?" Jack asked next. "Someone whom we may be able to speak with?" If there was, then it means that they had a better source of information. A trusted source.

"… … Records indicate an unassigned robot escorted them through the desert. Undesignated robot has not returned since the trip was made." Jack nodded, though unsatisfied with the answer.

"Father, what does that mean?" Ashi asked from above his head. "Do you know who that was?" Jack knew who the party was, but not the 'unassigned' robot.

"I believe the humans were the Scots." The girls looked happy to hear the name. Avi folding her hands as she smiled while Adi looked ready to jump from the platform she stood on. "Though I do not know who the robot was."

"Can you tell us about the 'unassigned robot' you spoke of?" Ashi quickly followed after Jack. It was clear who she was speaking to.

"… MP4 compressed records, analyzed… Unspecified robot was approximately 2 meters in height. He wore a human designed overcoat of color hue # 986E3F. Ocular replacement devices had color hue # F6340B. Structural metal was secured using over bolts design and outfitted with a chassis of color hue #000000." Jack did not understand most of that.

"A brown hat and overcoat, red eyes, and black metal suit." Jack looked to Avi, the ribbon haired girl mumbling. She blushed when he looked at her. "Those were the colors. I… recognize the hues, from when we last visited the garment store."

Jack smiled at the little one, even if he did not know a robot of such a description. There were faint ideas of possible suspects, but even forty years in a twisted future did not allow him to be familiar with all of its denizens.

"It's alright, Avi," Jack comforted, putting a hand to her head. "It's good to know who left with our friends." She smiled up at him, a good sign as any.

"What do we do now, father?" Ashi asked from above him again. "Should we continue to look for food?" Food was what the little ones needed, and much else was secondary in comparison. However, it was beginning to appear there was not much luck to be had.

"No," Jack started. "We should find the others first. Then we will discuss about searching for food elsewhere." It was unfortunate, and far from a desired outcome, but to struggle against what was present and real was pointless.

"Aki and Ahi are among the stalls," Ashi spoke up. Jack felt her twisting around. "However, I don't see-"

** BOOOM! **

Jack, at the sound of explosion, immediately crouched down, pulling Ashi off of his head and dragging her sisters from the platform they stood on. He covered them with his body as the rumbling continued through the ground.

He felt dust and scrap metal fall on him, like hail in a storm. The robots that made up the crowd were screaming in beeps and noises he couldn't discern but had no trouble understanding.

"What was that?!" Ashi asked from beneath him, wisely not trying to escape. "What happened?!" Jack did not know.

He twisted about, seeing robots dressed in rags and clothes running and wheeling in a frenzy. They slammed into one another, pushing each other over, upturning one another until they were lain on the ground. Any symmetry they had before was lost.

They were scared, but so was Jack.

There was any enemy nearby, and he didn't know where his children were.

* * *

Robots were supposed to be organized. A crowd of them, running from an explosion in a dozen different directions, was not organized at all. It was embarrassing.

It was something Ami noted as she was dragged through the crowd. Aphi pulling her forward as her stronger sister pushed her way past the mechanical creatures. Perhaps it was their external pressure sensors that told them to move, or perhaps her sister really was that strong.

Either way, the conclusion was the same. They were running through, and with, a mob of robots to avoid explosions.

**BOOM!** On going explosions.

They weren't far off, certainly not. Ami could observe the debris of buildings from the direction of the explosions, not to mention the remains of unfortunate robots at her feet, nearly tripping over them several times now. It was disgusting in so many ways.

The testament to mechanical and system design, beings that emulated the complexity of life living together in a densely packed group seemed to dissolve like a broken circuit the moment foreign stimuli was introduced. Ami corrected herself in her mind. It was too complicated for her sisters to understand.

Simply, the robots were panicking at the explosions.

**BOOM!** On the other hand, so was Aphi.

Ami ran behind her sister, the stronger of the pair, as she pushed her way forward through the metal beings, panicking in odd directions. They ran over strewn metal limbs, scrap parts and chassis, as they made their way through the once organized bazaar. Aphi was doubtlessly looking for safety. It was what her sister did.

Ami, however, was focusing on other things. The mechanical beings they passed, the parts they jumped over, the spare tools and devices in her pack.

**BOOM!** And the devices that continued to erupt around them.

They were devices that had to be small, non-randomly placed, and very likely being thrown in the same vein as an assault. It was evident by they way they continued to erupt in different locations around the Bazaar, never seeming to direct the flow of the robots, so dependent on constant stimuli.

That, and watching one of the explosive IEDs fly over her head as she ran. She followed it, watching it dip out of sight into the crowd.

"Fragmentation," Ami noted as she watched one of the bombs lob itself over their head. Aphi must have seen it, because she altered course through the crowd. Away from the bomb and its thrower.

**BOOM!** The explosion sent the robot crowd, their conditional sensors likely searching for an appropriate response and concluding that mass panic was appropriate.

It was not. Appropriate action was acknowledging the threats.

"Fragmentation grenades are non-electric, physical trigger based, dependent on chemical reactions." Ami muttered the words as Aphi continued to drag her and push her own way through the robots that crowded above them. "High damage from fragmentations. Modified with thin metal for high pressure leading to a good probability of lacerations or external wounds."

Fragmentation grenades were volatile, dangerous even by the comparison of weaponry. The best example she could list was a stationary computer system, presumably with a copious number of cores, not including a coolant system. The lack of the cooling system meant it required less power to run, but excessive run times could overheat the wiring and boards, creating permanent damage to the system.

Fragmentation grenades were much the same, in that they sacrificed too much. The lack of need of an exterior trigger meant they could be storied in greater number than other charges, but they needed only a loose wire tied to one of their pins to go off.

**BOOM! BOOM!** But even knowing that, the explosions didn't seem to be anything less than significantly accurate with their placements throughout the crowd.

Afterall, Ami realized as Aphi twisted again, running in a new direction as the bombs went off again, they seemed to be doing an excellent job at creating ran stimuli to the logic based robots. That, and to her and her sister.

"Here!" Aphi finally yelled in front of her. Ami didn't ask what she meant. It would have been a waste of breath.

Her sister pulled her out of the crowd, perpendicular to the normal path of the rest of the robots in either direction. She didn't need to wait long to know why.

They exited the stampeding mechanical beings to enter a small alley, dainty and sand-blasted. It as barren of any type of storage utensils common to larger cities, either due to its small size or the more organized nature robots tended to possess.

Either way, it left Ami and Aphi alone in the alley. **BOOM!** As bombs continued to erupt the crowd.

Ami watched the robots, covered in unfitting rags and clothes by even Avi's standards, run and screech in mechanical tones as the explosions continued to rip through the Bazaar. Former Bazaar. Her hands patted her bag even as she watched them, ensuring she still had all her spare parts.

"We need to find dad," Aphi spoke across from her. Ami looked at her sister, already looking up and down the alley for a way out. "But… we might be trampled." **BOOM!** "Or blown up, first." Ami nodded in agreement. There was nothing she could do about the grenades.

They doubtlessly had their pins pulled before they were thrown. It left her with no tools that could possibly turn them into 'harmless fragments of metal', unlike if they were C4 charges with a wirelessly controlled detonator.

"Right now, we're trapped." Ami didn't argue with her sister. She was like Ashi when it came to situations like this. Quieter, more independent, but still smart. The difference between RAM and SDD. One requiring the other, but not vice-versa.

"I can make us a way out," Ami noted as she dug into her bag. She had spare parts. "I can fix the emitter to use X-Rays and smelt the internal components of the robots." Aphi shook her head.

"We can't hurt the civilians." They weren't civilians, they were robots. But she knew her father would disagree. And he was always right, usually, when it came to these kinds of things. That made Aphi right for now.

"Then I can… try and build… something…" she tapered off as she looked through her spare parts.

** BOOM! **

Several different processing systems, pre-soldiered to green boards, free wire, clippers, battery sources, emitters, loose resistors, keyboards, there was a lot she could make. But what could she make easily that wouldn't destroy anything.

"I can make a uni-directional EMP wave." Technically she couldn't. She needed a helical antenna for that with a wide mounting plate. But she could attach that easily to her soldered board and program the frequencies. "It would temporarily shut down the robots, not kill them. I just need… a helical antenna."

"There isn't one here," Aphi noted. Ami knew she was right. It was unlikely they'd find one in the alley way.

** BOOM! **

Ami pushed herself against the wall as the explosion shook the structure. She pulled her legs into her body as something slammed against the walls, bobbing back and forth along the upper limits of the alley before slamming into the sandy bottom.

She looked at the object, recognizing the torn up head and missing ocular processors as the head of an unfortunate robot. The sparking wires were enough proof to show it had separated the central processor from its battery core. Dead, in other words.

"He might have one." Ami noted, pointing at the head. "His body would, not his head. The antenna is too large to be in the head." For most robots at least.

** BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! **

And it did not sound as if there would be a shortage of robots to search. Aphi, however, shook her head.

"We just need to find dad," her sister spoke. "Or… find a way to stop whoever is setting off these bombs." Throwing, Ami internally corrected. They were being set off by timing pins, pulled and thrown to release the ignition agent within their ceramic holdings.

"I don't know if I can make something to stop him." It would take a long time to reprogram the emitter to release deadly waveforms, even then hold it long enough to kill someone. It could take months. They were unlikely to aim a gun at someone for that long.

"'Ello! Can I get a hello from the children!?" Ami looked at her sister, who looked back at her. That was not a voice either of them expected to hear. They both looked to the entrance of the alley, over the destroyed robot's head. "I know bombs can be loud, but there's nor reason to run from Da Bomb!" That sounded like a name.

"Da Bomb?" Ami repeated. It sounded like something Aki would say, when complimenting music. Aphi shrugged her shoulders across from her.

"C'mon! The streets are alive with the sound of explosions!" The words didn't make sense, so Ami didn't read into them. The way they were being said, however did. "Why are you running from the noise of life!?" That wasn't the sound of a human or alien talking.

**BOOM!** That was a robot.

"He's a machine," Ami noted. That was a good thing. "A machine would be susceptible to an EMP explosion or directed wavelength in ways that humans wouldn't be." She began to look through her pack again.

"Wait," Aphi instructed her. Ami stopped, looking at her sister with an arm extended. Her eyes, however, were looking down the alley. Ami followed.

The crowd of robots had thinned, only slower models running by now with poor servo control or low power availability. Either way, it made it easy to see the other side of the street.

Or, as was a far more interesting sight, the lone robot that appeared to be searching in the street.

It wasn't a bipedal model, but mounted to a tracking system. A trio of wheels that allowed for swift movement in omni-direction. It supported a heavy chassis, from what Ami could see. It was difficult to see much more of the robot's upper body with the heavy amount of bagging and fabric he wore. The fabric was unimportant.

The bagging, from what could easily be surmised, was what was holding the majority of the robot's apparent armament supply. It had to be, as there was little else a robotic lifeform needed to carry. After that, the robot lifted up its arms. Ami noted that he had four. Four arms and three treed wheels to support him. He was a hulking brute covered in bags and rags.

"C'mon! Why are you tryin' to avoid having fun?!" The robot yelled again. Ami watched him reach into one of his bags, producing a fragmentation grenade from the pack. Her previous guesses were, obviously correct. "Da Bomb's a real blast to hang around with!"

Ami watched, carefully, as the pin of the grenade was pulled. She counted once, twice, then saw the grenade fly.

**BOOM!** It went off a safe distance away. Clearly the robot was calculating the time for the blasts to go off. Dangerous then, within and without.

"I know you guys are out there!" The robot yelled again in its synthesized voice. Ami and Aphi didn't make a noise, just as their father had instructed them in many encounters before. They only watched as the robot rolled off and out of sight.

Out of sight, but not range. The volatile nature of explosives such as the fragmentation grenades meant that the robot, with a proper angle, could throw them around cover. That was not to speak of simply lobbing them a respectful height into the air.

"We need to leave," Aphi noted again. "We need to tell father about him." Ami knew her sister was right. This was the area in which she excelled.

Her hand grasped her bag, standing in the sands of the alley. Her fingers played with the parts through the fabric, feeling everything available to her. There was a lot there, a lot that she had, and only missing one thing.

Her eyes looked back down at the robot's head, lifeless and detached from its main chassis. The head contained the main CPU and memory bank. A process that was meant to bridge the artificial gap between nature life and synthetic. The part she needed wasn't in the head.

She needed a part that could interfere with the positioning and stability data all robots required. The robot, Da Bomb, needed to have one of a higher grade in order to calculate the trajectory of the fragmentation grenades.

"Ami," her sister spoke her name again. She didn't look at Aphi. She needed parts.

She had the parts in her bag, a lot of them. She had the necessary wires and battery supply. Soldering was unnecessary for a quick device. She could quickly write the code in the attachable keyport. The processor would be able to handle it. It only meant she'd need to write in Basic.

" _Ami_ ," Aphi spoke in a harsher whisper. Ami didn't pay her mind. This was more important.

She just needed an antenna of some form to transmit the signal. Something that had a strong direction dipole. That meant helical antenna. Nested on a reflective surface would be best, causing a cascading wave. It would make it stronger, and the stronger the signal the harder it would be for a robot to filter out.

It was like her father said. There was no such thing as a perfect guard, just one that was better than the attack. If she could attack the robot's processor and directional axis with her machine, stronger than any shielding its bulky form had, then she could do this.

"Ami!" Her sister was yelling now. Ami looked up, knowing that wasn't good.

"And here they are!" It definitely wasn't good.

She looked up from her bag, staring at the hulking brute of a robot. It's eyes were no different than the many others they had seen, red headlights bearing down with freedom from emotion. The bags hung arounds it body shook as its wheels drove it forward, clogging the alley like a high resistor to a weak current.

"I _knew_ that you'd be here!" The robot seemed _too_ happy as it spoke. Probably a fault in its coding. Or an intentional misleading emotional output. Robots before had those. "It's a law of the universe that the bigger the bangs you make, the more life comes flushing out! Good to see I'm right again!"

Ami realized it was definitely a fault in its coding. The logic was horrendous enough that even her sister was questioning it.

Aphi was moving beside Ami, the smarter of the two realized. She felt her sister, slid her feet across the sand of the alley. She sounded heavier though. Ami didn't check why. It would be a poor decision to take her eyes off of the robot.

It was always a poor decision to take your eyes off a problem.

"Hey now, no need ta be so stiff," Da Bomb, ironically, spoke. Two of its hulky arms held themselves out, as if to offer something, though they had nothing. His third arm, however, was reaching into one of his duffle bags. "Bein' stiff makes it hard to create new things. You gotta be explosive if ya want to make a change!" His logic, incredulous as it was, was a secondary problem, Ami realized.

The primary problem was the grenade he pulled out and lorded over his head.

The robot's red eyes flashed a darker red in the light shadows of the alley.

"Let me help ya loosen up!" And he tossed the grenade.

One, Ami counted, pushing off the loose sand in a poor attempt to get away. There was no escaping the grenade in a short alley, however.

Two, Aphi, however, had a different thought. As Ami traced the path of the grenade to roll at her feet, she saw the robot's head was gone. She looked to her sister, hoping she was getting ready to run.

Three, and she saw that Aphi was holding the head. But only for a moment. Because in the next, she slammed the shredded metal over the grenade. Ami knew it was a poor decision. But like code, bad code was better than none at all.

Four, **BOOM!** Ami flew back from the explosion.

Her sense of direction was demolished like the alley, flying feet, hands, and head over one another in a made tumble over the loose sand. She felt the coarse material dig at her skin as her body flew over it, skipping like poorly optimized code.

She landed with a groan on the opposite street, her bag of materials clutched tightly in her hands. Nothing felt broken, which was good, and neither was anything in the bag, which was great. It meant she could still do something, maybe. She needed to be able to move first, at all.

Ami shook her head, running through the Pythagorean Theorem and Three Laws of Artificial Intelligence. She recalled them all, reducing the chances of a concussion, possibly. Her dark eyes looked left and right next. No trouble with vision either.

Thankfully, she also spotted Aphi a short distance away, her sister already standing. She was tough.

"I know you're still alive!" The robot yelled from beyond the now rubble worn alleyway. "If I'm still here, then you gotta be, too!" Its logic was infuriating to the mechanically inclined young girl.

"Come on!" Said sister yelled, loosely running over to Ami's side. She gave a groan of discomfort as her sister dragged her up. She knew it was important, but her body felt as if it needed rest. It was always difficult to move against the natural instincts of the body.

But as she got to her feet, bag clutched in her hand and feet swaying on the sand, Ami made up for it by thinking.

She thought of how the grenades exploded at different intervals, implying a difference in timing for the pins. She didn't have the chance to analyze them, but assumptions could be made. There could be markers on the grenades that the robot scanned. There could be a difference in size that robot was aware of. There could be a difference in storage.

** Boom! BOOOM! **

Yes, that one. Ami noted it even as she ran her fastest behind her sister, still be dragged for the effort. The different bags had different grenades. The robot was using them to keep track of timing. It was a human thought process, perhaps, but robots didn't build themselves.

"Found ya!" Ami dared to look back, seeing the hulking brute having blown his way through the alley. His wheels tore through the sand, kicking up a veritable storm behind him. "Are you running to join the dead? There's no need for that while I'm here!" This time, Ami understood what he meant.

It was easy to tell when Ami and Aphi began to run past the shredded bodies of the robots.

"Don't stop!" Aphi yelled her instruction. "But stay in cover!" That Ami understood as well.

She joined her sister in vaulting over the fallen buildings and ruined stands, keeping themselves low and behind the columns of dirt and clay. They were hardly solid protection against explosions.

** BOOOM! **

But if the freedom of injury was any indication, they were doing part of their job. And like bad code, it was better to have some cover than none at all. Still, that was no excuse to not improve the code.

Running and hiding worked for all of the three explosions they've endured, but it would not reduce or limit the number of grenades Da Bomb threw. They needed to, as Aki would say, take him down. And looking at the many strewn metallic bodies of the Bazaar citizens, Ami knew where she could get her last piece.

She could find the part she needed in tone of the robots, and then she could reduce Da Bomb into a metallic heap.

**BOOM!** "I know it's called run and gun, but there are no guns and this ain't fun!" A comment that, oddly, Ami could agree with. Still, he wasn't who she needed to talk to.

"Aphi!" she yelled to her sister. Her fellow horn-haired sibling looked at her, crouching behind a column of granite. "Find father! I have an idea!" Ami knew words alone wouldn't be enough. Her sisters didn't listen to reason often. Too emotional.

So, before her sister could throw up the usual arguments, Ami ran.

"Ami!" Aphi yelled behind her. **BOOM!** Just in time for an explosion to go off. Her sister was okay, Ami knew. Too much cover now and her sister was too smart to put herself in danger like that. Smart, but emotional.

Ami kept running, bag clutched to her chest and eyes scanning over the mutilated metal chasses of the robots. She knew what she needed and what she had. She just had to find the right robot.

The right robot with the right type of antenna with the right type of power requirements. One had to be among the bodies, given their number and previously shown level of organization. It was a statistically probable situation.

**BOOM!** "C'mon! Don't split up! I wanna split up atoms, but I wanna blow you up!"

The mad robot, however, made it a bit more difficult.

With the family she had, it was to be expected.

* * *

"Here! In here!" Jack yelled with great strength, but his words were muted and slaughtered.

The cacophony and discord of a thousand robots screaming with distorted voiced rose above and squashed his own. It left the samurai in the same position as if he were screaming against the sea.

He needed to tell the robots that were fleeing the carnage, looking for an escape, to follow him into the tower of metal. A tower of metal was safer than the structures of stone, but they robots, panicked as they were not quick to realize it.

Thankfully, he was not alone.

"In here! In here!" Ashi yelled beside him, waving her arm as she hung from a high post. Her hand swung towards a doorway, to the only tower in the Bazaar like town to have any kind of defense. "You'll be safe here! Hurry!"

"C'mon! Hurry up!" Aki yelled just beside her, though hanging upside down from her perch. It was enough to allow her hands to fall and grab the robots trying to run, directing them towards the safer building.

The pair of sisters, strong and determined, were doing an excellent job at directing a few of the many robots into the safety of the structure. But they were only two against hundreds of the panicked horde. The two on the outside of the structure, at least, with him.

Avi, Adi, and Ahi were already inside, all doing what they could to help the robots nestled within. They were not as strong as their sisters, not as knowledgeable of the robots as Ami, but they had skills fostered through the time through the cursed land.

Avi, collecting and distributing the pieces of fabric that she could, trying to stave off the flow of oil and fluids from damaged ports and chassis.

Adi, trying to organize everyone into the safest positions within the tower. Her knowledge of the structures history, no matter how small or brief, was compounded by her studies from the many similar structures across the land.

Ahi, still searching for food, but now also looking for what the robots needed to calm themselves down. She whispered words that Ami would normally speak. Coolant, power cycles, soldering, and many other terms that Jack was sure she did not know. And in truth, he did not either.

Those were things Ami would know. But Ami was not here.

**BOOM!** She and her sister were still in the Bazaar among the explosions.

Jack twisted on his feet, resisting the flow of robots that pushed and rampaged by him. His eyes scanned for where the other little ones could be, for where Ami and Aphi could possibly be hiding. And hiding he knew they would be.

But he saw the smoke of the explosions rise in the air, the missing chunks of building falling over, and the debris of the Bazaar stalls scattered amongst the floor, mixing with the metallic corpses of the others.

Ami and Aphi, they were mixed in there as well. But worse yet, he did not know where.

They were out of his sight when the explosions started, and they were no closer now minutes after they had begun. He had not heard them, seen them, or much else other than think of them.

**BOOM! BOOM!** And the moment, they were all that was on his mind.

"Ashi! AKI!" Jack yelled up to the little ones, roaring over the ocean of screaming robots. The pair of girls looked down at him, eyes wide but focused. "Help the others! I am going to find your sisters! I will be back!" Ashi nodded with little hesitation. Aki raised her hand and extended her thumb. Jack smiled in turn.

Then he was gone. Jumping over the robots and their panicked state.

Dozens of feet in the air gave Jack the perspective of the damage, and it was not good.

Though the Bazaar was only littered with buildings before, dull gray and light tan clay, they were all but ruined now. Minor structures made for little more than enduring the sweeping sands reduced to chalky rubble and ruin.

Jack landed, then jumped again.

The wooden stands that had made up so much more were all nearly destroyed, the few remaining likely not for long. Posts and tents torn to sunder, some alight with the sparks of a fire, and even more trampled to ruins beneath the heavy bodies of the fleeing robots.

Jack landed, then jumped once more.

And the robots were far more in number than anything else, all but the sand that blanketed the town. Their organized numbers and fashion earlier was reduced to nothing. Their heavy bodies clashing into another, grinding metal like gears. It was a painful to hear and likely the same to experience.

Jack could save them, but there were others who needed saving first. They were infinitely more important.

Once more Jack landed, but this time he did not jump.

"FATHER!" Because he heard a voice he recognized.

His head spun, his dark beard waving with the motion. With a twisted back and wide eyes, he saw what he wanted, and needed, to see.

"Aphi!" Jack yelled the little one's name, running to her against the stream of the robots. Heavy though they were, there existed little to keep him from the children. "Aphi!" Jack yelled her name twice.

He stopped when he reached her, sliding to his knees and scooping her into his arms. She didn't hesitate to embrace him as well, her head falling into the crux of his neck and shoulder.

Though she was far taller than she was three years ago, she was still far from his height in size. Only enough now for her arms to wrap around his body and hold against him with some force. It was a motion he did the same in kind to her.

In his arms, he knew that she would be safe.

But though Aphi was safe, she was not enough. Not without Ami as well.

"Aphi," Jack spoke after the quick embrace. "Where is-"

"Back! Farther back!" Aphi yelled before he could finish. Her arm hard already delatched itself from his, swinging to the direction she had come from. "Ami is back there! She's distracting him!"

He looked up, following her arm, fear already creeping up his back. He saw the damage from above, he saw the ruin and destruction, he saw the bodies and the panic. But now, looking at it all and knowing that one of the precious little ones was amongst it, the Samurai saw something else.

He saw red.

* * *

"Co-radial antennas, two, helical," Ami spoke as she worked on the box in front of her. It was just a box right now. A box with a four-core processor, less than 1GHz in processing power. It was weak, very weak, but it was enough.

It was enough for her to look at the simple box and determine the parts she needed to finish the device. She had the processor, motherboard associate, small battery pack, and loose wiring connecting all the critical elements. She still needed antennas though.

"Helical, has to be helical," Ami spoke again, even as she searched through the rubble of fallen buildings and scrap of broken robots. They were dead, they wouldn't mind. "Helical in longitudinal mode. Long dipole necessary."

There was another robot in front of her, the rags that had covered it burning off as she approached. She beat aside the few scraps that were smoldering. A dry climate void of moisture mad the combustion of materials easy.

And the chassis of the robot ripped open made it easy to look for spare parts. Her hands dug into the body without a second though, ignoring the oil and grime of disrepair. She needed an antenna, not hygiene.

"Antennas important for mechanical citizens," Ami spoke as she ripped through wires and gears, many broken and abused. "Necessary for reading atmosphere, communicating information wirelessly, interacting with devices remotely." She still hadn't found one in the chassis of the robot.

She withdrew, the clothing she was wearing now covered in dark oil and ripped into patches. Avi would be upset. Ami didn't care. She needed to find helical antennas.

"Helical antennas allow for unidirectional signal," Ami continued to speak softly, crawling over rubble as she looked for another robot. They were more likely to have what she needed. "Use low power, hand-operable, mounted to a grounding plate." One would come with the other.

Her arms, weak as they were compared to the likes of Aphi, were able to push a boulder aside. She was rewarded with the smashed form of a small robot underneath. She didn't need tools to open it up.

"In the chest region, the chassis," Ami continued to mutter, pulling at the metal sheet to look for what she needed. She didn't need to look for long.

Coiled along the posterior wall of the robot's inner chassis, the length of her arm, was a helical antenna. Even better, judging by the large mounting plate it was affixed to and radial span of its coil, it had an inner additional antenna. Ami nodded, satisfied.

Simply, she'd found her co-radial helical antenna.

** BOOM! **

Ami fell against the robot, hard. She checked to her right, where the explosion had gone off from. There was a hole in the building, one of the few that the small town had. The rest of the structure wouldn't survive another blast.

But then again, without armor like her father's, neither would she.

"Where are you sw _eeee_ t _yyyyyy!_ _"_ Ami heard the robotic voice yell. The smae one that had chased her and Aphi. Her sister was alright, she was strong. Ami was just smart. "What are you hiding for? Don't ya want to meet Da Bomb! I've gotta be the biggest bang you'll meet!" Ami didn't understand what he meant. She'd ask her father later.

She found her antenna system and she had her computer system ready to attach it to. Now, she just needed to make sure Da Bomb didn't find her.

"Don't ya know that your tha number 1 kinda person I wanna hit with my bombs?!" Ami did not understand that either. She didn't care to. It was like trying to understand the preference of HDD over SDD. Pointless. "C'mon, how'm I supposed to bring ya new life if you keep hiding!?"

** BOOM! **

Ami pushed her face into the rubble, feeling the gray dust and abrasive sand blow against her. No shrapnel had pierced her, which was excellent. But she could feel the explosions, which meant they were nearby. That was poor.

"I got plenty of my babies ta show ya. Each one of 'em is looking to grow up into a boomin' bang as big as me!" Ami still didn't understand the menace. He spoke worse than most others she had heard. With her father, she'd met a lot of poorly educated people. "Da Bomb is here ta make things grow up big and fast, fast as the big bang that started it all!" The Big Bang?

Ami kept herself in the rubble of stone, metal, and sand, but she still thought of the robot's words. The Big Bang was the theoretical creation of the universe, like Adi had told them over Ahi's dinner once. It was the explosion of matter that created the complex relationships between atom attractions, mostly around Carbon for life forms.

How did the chemical combustion of fragmentation grenades relate to that?

"You're seriously missing out!" Da Bomb yelled again. This time, Ami heard the tread of his wheels roll by. Specifically as they crunched over pieces of stone and metal. He was close, but still unseen. "Don't cha know that Aku's gonna help me make a whole new universe?!" Ami understood that.

She kept herself still though, holding the precious computer box and antenna system. She needed them, but she also needed to stay hiding. If she was found, she would be killed. She just needed her father to come here... Aphi would make it happen. She always protected her.

"The Big Guy promised that if I could give him the samurai's body, he'd give me a bang big enough ta jump start a whole new universe!" Plausible, Ami realized. Aku was powerful enough and evil enough. "So don't ya see that all I need are few good explosions to get things rolling?" Their deaths, she realized.

The absolute worst case scenario.

"So c'mon! Why are you trying to stop life from happening?!" She heard a roar of rotors. Ami braced herself, knowing what was coming next.

**BOOM!** It was just as ear-piercing as she feared.

She felt rubble fall over her now, chunks and debris from the buildings and sand. There was metal too. Metal from either the robots he had destroyed or the fragments of his explosives. Hopefully the former, the latter was too dangerous.

Actually, this was all dangerous. But hindsight didn't matter.

She needed to finish the device, and she only needed the antennas to do it. She lacked the solder necessary to secure the wires, but stripped gauge wires could work, even if she needed to hold the helical antenas up. That was okay, acceptable given the circumstances.

Ami reached inside the robot she was lying on, grabbing at the antenna. It was secured, on one end. She needed to grab it at the securing point. She couldn't risk bending the wires with the torque. She gripped it and pulled. A second into the effort and she wished Aphi was here.

"Found you!" Ami twisted, feet in the chassis of the destroyed robot, to see Da Bomb pointing at her.

Pointing at her with three grenades in his two other hands, the last holding up a column of stone like a scrap piece of wood. His wheels churned in the sand, menacingly. His red eyes glowed with delight and she knew, if mechanical beings were capable of altering their chassis significantly enough, there would be a manic grin on his lips.

But all of that was superficial judgement. What was important were the trio of fragmentation grenades Da Bomb was holding.

"Help me kick off the Big Bang!" And then they were chucked at her.

Ami watched them sail in the air towards her, wondering what she could do. Anything would work, anything that could stop them or knock them away. But she wasn't strong like Aphi or Ashi. She wasn't talented like Aki or Avi. She was only smart, like Ahi and Adi.

Smart enough to know fragmentation grenades couldn't be disarmed once they had a pulled pin and released guard. They were going to blow up. And, by their trajectory, next to her.

_Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!_ At least, they _would_ have blown up on her. If they weren't knocked out of the way. **BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! **Knocked out of the way before Ami was guarded by something large landing in front of her. There was no mystery what it was.

She knew her father, beard and glare, anywhere.

"Father!" Ami yelled up at him, even as he curled over her. He said nothing, likely because of the stone and fragmentation falling down on him. That was a possibility.

It was equal chance he was staring at the robot who had tried to kill her. Her father was quick to anger in such cases.

"And the catalysis arrives!" The robot, however, lost none of its exuberance. Ami knew she was collecting quite the cavalcade of data regarding the speaking pattern of the mad robot. "The one Aku says is keeping the biggest of all the bangs!" Perhaps she could use it find the coder.

"Ami." The young girl looked up at her father, his glare sharp as steel and just as cold. "Run to the tower. I will handle this." Her head shook. No, that wasn't right. She couldn't leave now.

She was _so_ close to stopping Da Bomb.

"No," she spoke quickly. It took great effort to ignore the harsh glare of her father being leveled at her. "No I can stop him! I just need to cable attach the co-axial helical antenna system to the processor and power supply." Yes, that was all she needed. Her father could keep her safe while she did that. He was invincible.

"Ami!" She ignored the rise in his voice. She had to, because she needed to procure the antenna system without bending it. That required focus.

"Hot stuff, coming your way!" Like on that voice.

_Thwack! Thwack!_ **Boom! Boom!** And her father was no less invincible now than he was before.

Ami could feel the rumble of the explosions through the dirt she kneeled on and chassis she clutched, but she ignored it. It was unimportant next to preserving the integrity of the antenna system. If it was bent, any helix broken, or part damaged, it would be impossible to propagate a dipole field.

"Ami! I am serious! Run!" Her father yelled again, but she shook her head. She couldn't not yet. She needed to do this. She _could_ do this. Not doing it would be a waste.

And like Ahi would say after a meal, wasting anything was horrible.

"Don't ya get it Samurai? She's catchin' onto the message!" Ami heard a pin pull as the robot screamed. She didn't care. She needed to unfasten the support column of the antenna. "There's no out running the Big Bang. She's thinkin' she might as well go out with one!" His logic and reasoning were clearly fried.

_Thwack!_ … **BOOM!** But if she didn't hurry, then she'd be fried as well. Her father was invincible, but she was not.

"Ami! You're not safe here!" Her father yelled again. He was correct, but it was not a reason to leave. Not until she was done. And she was _close_. "You have to run before-"

Her father cut himself off, which was odd in a fight. She looked up, distracted for a moment, and hoping to see her father wrestling with the robot instead of her.

Instead, she found a grenade rolling to her knees. That wasn't good.

"Ami!" Her father yelled, but he was too far away. She knew it. She just didn't know how many counts the grenade had. The fragmentation grenade with a pulled pin laying almost against her leg. Three? Two?

_BAM!_

"AH!" Ami yelled, at the sound. Even as her eyes traced the grenade.

**BOOM!** Then they promptly shut as the explosion went off.

She nearly buried herself into the chassis of the destroyed robot, falling so quickly to the ground to avoid the blunt of the explosive force and shrapnel flying off of it. Her hands were over her head, teeth clenched, and fingers ready to pull out her hair.

But if she could recognize all of that, she knew it meant she was alive. What she didn't know was how.

Ami rose her head, noticing first the lack of light despite the time of day and location. Then she noticed the spontaneous cover that was over her head, a hunk of material hanging above her. Then she traced how it was above her.

"A-Aphi?" She spoke her sister's name, almost questioning. There was no reason to. It was her sister, of course it was. She recognized her fellow horned haired sibling out of any crowd and any time of the day, in the midst of her work or not.

But somehow, it just seemed appropriate. Seeing as her sister was standing above her with a hunk of steel above her head.

"Aphi!" Her father yelled now. Ami didn't look at him. She was staring at her sister, her panting sibling. "Grab Ami and run! Now!"

**BAM!** Ami shook as the chunk of steel Aphi was holding dropped beside her. If that had fallen over her head, it would have easily crushed her…

Then Aphi grabbed her arm and pulled.

"Aphi, wait!" She yelled, though her sister did not seem to pause. Their father wanted them safe, and she'd do just that. "Please wait! I need that antenna! I _need_ it to stop him!" Her arm swung back towards the robot, grenades in its trio of hands.

"There's no stopping me," the machines spoke as a fact. Further proof of its fallacy of logic. "You can't stop a boom once the fuse has been lit!" Fragmentation grenades didn't have fuses. Just like her EMP directional wave didn't have an antenna system yet.

And Aphi was still pulling her arm!

"Please Aphi! We can help father!" She was sure they weren't moving yet only because Aphi was considering it. Otherwise they'd be half way to the tower father spoke of. "It can stop the robot if I just get that antenna!"

_KRR- **ACK!**_ Ami nearly jumped again.

Before she'd even seen it, Aphi had swung her hand into the chassis of the robot, grabbing the helical antenna system by its base. Then broken it off with a single pull of her hand.

Her sibling held it out to her, a stern look in her eyes so similar to their father, especially now. Ami knew better than to question it. This was a gift that she needed, to help them both.

Grabbing it, she saw no significant deflection in its central axis, no breaks in its helical structure, and the base plate still welded together. Simply, it was perfect for a hot-wired system.

"… That is sufficient." Ami admitted, holding the antenna system to her eye level. She didn't resist the pull of Aphi this time.

"There's no running away from me!" The robotic voice yelled behind them as they ran. Ami didn't care to look. "Maybe you just need a _controlled_ explosion!" That reached Ami's ears. Thankfully, Aphi's too.

Her sibling dug her feet into the sand, sprinting sideways and behind cover. Ami didn't question her sister's judgement. There was no reason to.

When she saw another grenade roll by, she knew it was further just.

**BOOM!** The pair of siblings covered their ears at the noise, or more like attempted to. Ami didn't dare ruin the antenna system, not before it had been used to disable the robot.

"Ami! Aphi! Are you alright!" Ami didn't respond. There was no time to. They were in cover and she had to focus.

"We are okay!" Aphi yelled for the pair of them. "Ami just needs some time!" She was sure her father would rather they run away, but he was not one to run from a fight either.

Ami quickly worked her hands into her pack, pulling out the necessary items to attach the antenna system. That was the easy part. The more difficult handling of the system would come in the form of programming a BASIC code to generate the diple. The shielding of the base plate would have to be sufficient as well.

"Looks like the girls are ready to go!" She heard Da Bomb yell in turn. "Does that mean your ready for me to set them off?" A poor choice of words to anyone's dad. Let alone theirs.

The lack of response back, however, was not one of Ami's concerns. Their father was strong, extremely strong. He wouldn't be downed, let alone injured, by some poorly programed robot with a few grenades. Not when he was keen to fight Aku in the past.

Her hands worked at twisting the exposed nickel of wires together, creating an electronic bridge. Battery tracks run to the necessary components on the circuit boards, the processor and motherboard properly connected to the 15th and 16th port of the chip as well. Those safe-crossed with the antenna system to prevent a short-circuit. She was already nearly there.

The sounds of her father fighting echoed behind her as she worked. It was reason enough for her to not slow. Not while her father was fighting for them. She and Aphi.

** BOOM! BOOM BOO-BOOOMM! **

Aphi, who had a hand on her shoulder and looked prepared to jump and run at a moment's notice. Ami knew she was, and she trusted that if she did, it was because they had to.

Because beyond the safety of the cover they huddled in, the sounds of their father fighting the mad robot went on. She paid attention to it in spurts, short enough data times to be able to ascertain if they were in trouble or not. But it did not sound like it.

It sounded as if her initial assessment of Da Bomb was correct. His tri-set of wheels made him too fast to approach, and his machine coding made the ability to throw and place the fragmentation grenades nearly impossible to approach, and no safer at a distance.

** BOOM BOOM! BOO-BOO-BOOM! **

Ami kept her focus on the board and code in front of her as the sounds of the fighting continued. As her father screamed and twacked away grenades, grenades that went off and destroyed more and more of the Bazaar, she kept her eyes to her work.

It was work that could save her father and sisters, and she would not risk it.

Fingers danced around the rigged keyboard, the buttons across it memorized even if the text on them was worn away. She only glanced at the small screen as she wrote. She trusted her ability, just as she trusted her father.

And that trust was to come into play.

"Finished," she let out quickly, looking at Aphi as she did so. Her sister looked back in kind, down at the jury-rigged device she had cobbled together. It was far from something Ami could call final or well-equipped, but it was at least suitable.

"C'mon Samurai! Are you chasing me or runnin' away!" Da Bomb continued to yell. Hopefully not for much longer if Ami could help it. "Or are you tryin' to run from my heart!" That didn't make any sense.

**BOOM!** But the ring of explosions did. It was a sign to work faster.

It needed two pairs of arms to hold to prevent the antenna system from cracking the breadboard. It needed a rubberized guard to hold the base plate to prevent any feedback disruptions. And it needed a range shorter than fifty feet.

But it would work. She knew it.

Its range was limited, she knew, but testing from afar would do no more harm.

"Aphi, hold this," Ami instructed her sister, giving her the antenna system. "While wearing these." A pair of rubber gloves were taken from her satchel in the same time. Her sister didn't argue or question.

While Aphi got ready, Ami went over the wiring twice more. **BOOM!** And rushed at that. Everything was in place, and she knew it would work, because it had to.

"Ready?" She asked, seeing her sister holding the antenna system with rubber gloves. Her sister nodded, the base plate held in her hand. "Then aim it at Da Bomb, making sure the tip is aimed at him." They were far away, but with any luck, she'd get some positive test results.

Her fingers danced over her keyboard again, hitting memorized buttons in a newly programmed pattern. The screen next her showed all the data she needed to.

"Turning on… now." _Click_.

There wasn't supposed to be a sound, as it was meant to generate an electric dipole field, something outside the hearing and sight range of humans. Being able to interpret either would be sign that something was wrong.

Still though, Ami did hear something. Just not anything she didn't want to hear.

"Time for… what time is it? Where is it?" And that was the sound of a mad machine becoming self-aware. Or rather, losing its sense of self.

"Perfect," Ami spoke up. "Don't lose track of him. Let me know if we have to move." There was some slack in the wires, but not enough to allow for a significant difference in distance between the pair of sisters. And the wires were hardly soldered for any kind of tension.

Aphi didn't respond, she only nodded again.

"It's Da Bomb time! Which bomb? Where are the bombs?" The mad machine continued to rave. Ami continued to watch her sister, holding the machinery in place in her lap. "Maybe it's there! No wait… _there!_ " The declaration was accompanied by Aphi getting to her feet. Ami did the same.

She looked over the wall of cover, of clay and stone, and saw exactly what she wanted to see.

Da bomb, the crazy bulk of a mad robot, flailing with arms pulling in a dozen different directions. They swung with enough force to tilts its mass, wheel spinning in contradicting directions, leaving him to twirl like a whirlpool on dry land.

"A grenade! A bomb! A flare! I'll run it through the biggest bang of them all!" Those it's words appeared to be more random than made now. It was a positive thing to see, though not enough yet.

It was designed to disable, not confuse. It was meant to completely shut down processing and electrical fields associated with the robotic form, not leave its processor jumping at random intervals. It wasn't the result she wanted. But perhaps it was good enough.

Because she knew the rest could be handled easily.

"Father!" Ami yelled, looking for her father amongst the rubble and dirt. At the cry for his name, she saw him twist beyond cover, spear in hand and eyes focused on her. "I've disrupted his processor! You can attack now!" And much like Aphi, he only nodded in response.

Before jumping into the air. Spear above his head.

"HYYYYEEEEAAAAAAA!" He let out the battle cry, in time for the sun to blot him out of the sky. Ami lost track of him in the glare, like every opponent who had ever faced him had.

_SHINK!_

And the results against this opponent were no different. By sight, sound, and eventual relief.

Her father was in front of Da Bomb, standing lower than the robot's full height, but with his lance pierced through the head and central chassis of the robot. The chances of such a blow not destroying the robot were slim to none.

The results only became clearer as the red lights of the robot faded away, the power that kept it active fading to nothing.

"Noo… Not a shout…. Wimpeeeeeerrrrrrrr..." And the robot sagged in defeat.

_Click_

Ami clicked off the batter of her board, the device having run its course. Aphi put the antenna down on top of the cover they stood behind, releasing a breath of air in relief. Ami joined in with it, eyes shutting as the calm of a finished battle washed over her.

It had worked. They had done it.

"Ami, Aphi," their father spoke to them. They both looked up, seeing their bearded parent walking towards them, concern on his face and worry in his eyes. "Are you unharmed? Did anything hit you?" Ami shook her head first.

"No." She spoke clearly. "I''m-" But that was all she got out.

"What were you thinking?" Before he stood above them, glare bearing down on them with the same strength as his words. Ami's throat choked, her words dying before they birthed from her mouth.

"I..." she started before swallowing. "I… recognized that Da Bomb was a robotic enemy and I-I believed that I could fashion a device to disrupt his processor and handling systems so-"

"You could have been killed," her father interrupted her again. Ami said nothing in return, because her father was right. Even with a beard as thick as his, the scowl was as visible as the glare of his eyes. Or the harshness of his words. "Any one of those explosions could have harmed you. _Killed_ you."

"Y-Yes," Ami agreed. Lying was as pointless as a Hard Disk Drive. "But I was confident that-"

"Your device worked, but it just as easily could not have," her father continued to brow beat her with other likely outcomes of her choices. Outcomes she had recognized and reasoned as appropriate risks. "You could have been spotted, and the villain could have thrown another bomb at you."

Ami said nothing this time. She didn't know what she could say. Her father wasn't wrong. Neither was she, as she was alright, but clearly his words held more weight than hers.

She had almost died, thrice, if not for her father and sister. And… she had no words to take it back.

"Father," she began carefully. "I'm sorry for disobeying you. I thought… I could be like-" And once more she was interrupted by her father.

This time by him scooping Ami and Aphi into a tight hug.

Her father was fast, as she had seen many times before. But the speed at which she was pulled into his embrace was faster than she believed some electrons ran through wiring systems. Her feet dangled underneath her as she was pushed into her father's chest, side-by-side with Aphi.

"Thank goodness," he whispered above them, head hunched over and mouth smothered into their hair. "Thank goodness you are alright." Oh, he was worried. That made sense. They were chased by that mad robot.

But now they weren't, and their father was embracing them in thanks. It only made sense to do the same.

"We're okay," Ami repeated, wrapping her arms around her father. They tangled themselves with Aphi's, but she pushed her way through. An embrace had to be all encompassing, like the antenna system. Otherwise, it just didn't have the same energy. "Thank you for saving me."

"Us," Aphi spoke up, even as her hand pushed past Ami's chest, uncomfortably. She didn't voice any concern. "Thank you, father."

And their father didn't respond. He only strengthened his embrace around them. An embrace that was warm, safe, and before anything else, once of the happiest places either sister could think to be.

Ami and Aphi mimicked their father, holding him all the tighter.

* * *

They were safe. They were all safe.

Jack reminded himself of the simple fact as he entered the tower, filled with the surviving members of the Bazaar, backed and moving about as they worked to find their robotic companions and goods. They were important, they were blessed, but they were far beneath those that Jack searched for.

They were a distant care next to the lives Jack had found.

"Dad!" Aki yelled up to him. She pounced when she was close enough, jumping into his waiting arms. He didn't hesitate to embrace her. "We got a bunch of the robots in here, just like you asked!" He smiled down at the rambunctious child.

"We instructed them and guarded the few that needed protection," Ashi followed her sister's words. She didn't look for an embrace, as she rarely did. "Once we were sure Ahi and Avi were safe, Adi assisted us in finding the best paths."

"Yeah!" Adi agreed jumping next to her sister. She grinned proudly. "The Kiosk robot helped a lot, too. Just had to remember everything he had to say, which wasn't too much." Jack remembered the robot instructing them on a great deal, actually. He never was unimpressed by the young child's ability to retain and explain such information.

Jack smiled at the little ones, pleased with the pride and honest cheer. It was a gift he could never receive too much of. What was more, they had done and _excellent_ job.

The discordance of rushing metal and grating steel had all but vanished within and without the tower. The robots and their mechanical nature had been restored. Simple noises and calm tones echoed through the tower, synthesized voices that were more soothing and far from grating.

The many were gowned in tightly woven fabrics, covered in some rags, but all cared and maintained for. They were put into groups, all looking for one another, and relaxed as they huddled along the walls of the metallic tower.

Simply, the children had organized and calmed the robots that numbers into the hundreds. Alone at that.

Pride was an appropriate thing to feel.

"You all did an excellent job," he complimented to them truthfully, thankfully. "And I am no less pleased to see you all well." He spoke no less in his falsehoods.

Aki and Adi beamed with a pride that Jack felt, standing taller than they normally could. Avi nodded in thanks, standing near Ashi who kept her arms folded, but a small smile betraying her neutral gaze. Ahi pumped her fist into the air, similar to how she would act when she finished a new meal with success.

Ami and Aphi were not apart in celebrating the success. Ami, the little one who had designed the tool for rendering the robot inert, held her bag of parts and device within to her chest. It took only a glance to see the pride and feeling of success bloom across her face.

Aphi was much the same, with arms crossed yet still fidgeting in place. It was clear she wished to take after Ahi or Aki, but was still focused on her siblings around her. She was proud of her success, but she wished not to mean that she was done with her task.

Dutiful in nature, just like all the little ones.

Jack looked them over again, with the danger passed and their tasks successful. They had saved hundreds of robots from the rampage of one. They had kept them safe through the destruction. They helped, if not solely accomplished, destroying the foul robot that had taken life for a worthless gain.

It was something Jack knew himself capable of doing, but not nearly in the same manner that Ami had. Old as he was and hardened as he had become, Jack knew that child was already beyond him in the skill of metal and electronics.

But the question was, how far beyond him was she against his old friends?

Was Extor, the scientist who created dark machines for Aku, so talented at such a young age? Was Olivia so wild as Aki before her years caught up to her, before Aku tried to turn her? Was Kuni so like Aphi, so willing to risk danger for family over self?

They were questions Jack could not answer, and they were worries that compounded the longer he gazed at the little ones. A fear that he had not thought of, that he had never had, until the little ones began to grow among him.

He was protecting them, he was guarding them, and he hoped he was teaching them. An outsider may call him their parent, as they adored to call him. But was he that to them? Jack did not know. He did not know because he had never been this before.

Over his life, the forty-three years in the dark future and twenty ears in the joyous past, he had never cared for children in such a way. He knew others had, he knew others who had. But he had never spoken to them of such things.

Perhaps though… that was the issue. He was thinking readily and often of how to protect the little ones.

But he had yet to think of how to help them grow.

"I am so proud of you all." The words passed through Jack's lips in a breath that was nearly lost.

Surrounded by machines and robotic life, in the lone steel tower in a desert Bazaar, Jack realized the truth of it all unintentionally. He was _proud_ of these little ones, these young girls, for everything they had shown.

And they still had so much more to show. He knew it.

"Children, little ones," Jack spoke again, each of the girls looking up at him with beaming eyes. "I do not believe you realize the depth of your own talents. If the years had shown me anything, it is this."

"What do you mean, father?" Ashi asked. Jack smiled, aware that she would be the first to question. He intended to explain.

"I mean to say you are all talented in ways I am not." Jack spoke to them all, each of the seven little ones who had grown in ways so different, despite their near identical upbringing in the red mountain, and following him in the cursed future.

Kneeling in front of them, ignoring the robots that moved in the building around them, Jack looked at each of the children, each of the sisters, as she continued to explain.

"You have all grown over the years in ways that I have not as well." It was hardly surprising to know that the children were different than him. It was surprising that they were different from one another.

All from the same red mountain, all from the same cursed mother, all from the same dark past, yet they were all children special in their own way. Different, unique, like the flowers of a field. No matter how similar in appearance, they were unique unto themselves.

The heights they could grow to, the terrain they could climbs, winds they could endure, or petals they could grow. All unique, all different.

But all still so fragile.

"Your talents are things that I wish to see grow," Jack continued to speak, eyes flowing from one child to the next, the sisters have all their eyes upon him. "I wish to see you create new gadgets, cook new dishes, make new cloths, and all so much more."

He let his hand fall on Aki's head, the girl's head slumping with the weight. She still pushed her neck up, craning now to see her father.

"I wish to see you all grow in ways that I thought impossible in this dark land." Impossible in a future where he had betrayed all that he once was. "To find your own path in life, to build your own fate… and to fight for your own future."

"Dad?" Ahi spoke up, looking at him with concern in her eyes. Jack smiled kindly to her. There was no reason for her to be wary.

"We've been in danger before, and I know Aku will attempt to sway others to his evil ways again." It was as inevitable as the dying of the light. "But I do not want your love for love for creation to be swayed by the presence of destruction."

"Father? What are you talking about?" Avi now, her hand gripping on the seam of one of his leggings. She was close to tears, as she so often was when she did understand something he said. Jack continued to speak.

"I mean to say that you are all strong, in ways similar and vastly different than me." Jack ensured the eyes of each of the little ones was upon him, watching and listening with intent. "And I want to see, more than anything else, how much stronger you can become in these vastly different ways."

"I don't understand," Adi spoke more than questioned. "Are you… telling us to leave?" Jack felt more than heard the gasps of the little ones.

He settled them quickly. Shushing the more inquisitive of the sisters as he patted their backs and heads, shaking his head in the same kind.

No, he was not going to leave them. If he had a wish that was worth this horrible future, he wanted them to grow old and be forever young. But that was not possible, such as leaving them was not his wish.

His desire, his plan, was much simpler than that.

"No." Jack spoke simply. "We are going to find old friends."


	7. Jack and the Ash Angel

Forty-four years have passed.

Forty-four years since he had been thrown into a dark future, forty-four years since the portals to the past were destroyed, since lives were slain for joy, since evil reigned without contest, since the hope of the world faded to nothing but charred embers. Forty-four years since a darkness swept over the future, and turned it into a land of vile deeds and misuse.

Forty-four years since hope was lost. And four years since it was found. Found in the shape and form of seven girls, fighting to survive their own dark past and forge a brighter future.

Seven girls that he was charged with protecting, and raising.

"Hgyah!" Ashi yelled as she spun on her heel, her other foot rising to deliver a heel strike. The from was near perfect, with her body angled to provide strength and arms brought in to allow herself to rotate faster. If it had struck true, it would have done much damage. Fortunately or not, she was not sparing with a novice.

"Hugh!" Aphi let out as her folded arms caught the inside of Ashi's leg. A wise move, avoiding the hard bone of the heel, letting the opponent's muscle soften the blow. However, she wasn't done.

The twin-horned girl kept her arms up, but spun her body in time. One of her legs extended, aiming to sweep the ground out from Ashi. With the girl kept in place by her own leg, it made for few options. But the children were not trained to accept their conditions, not by him.

"Hray!" Ashi let out again as she spun her body parallel to the ground, jumping off of the ash laden earth and ripping her foot from Aphi's grasp. She was free, but she, like her sister, didn't wait for her opponent to recover.

Instead, her foot came down again, this time with the dorsum of her foot aiming for her sister's head now. It would have been a mighty blow if it had connected, one powered by the spinning of her body and gravity itself. Because of that, Aphi was just as determined to avoid it.

One of her free arms lifted above her head, her forearm catching the crux of Ashi's foot before it could impact her. For the breifeest of moments, it left Ashi floating in the air with her extended foot being the only thing keeping her right. Aphi struck out with her other hand. It was clear she was trying to aim for the solar plexus with the strike, an area where a clean strike would lead to a spasm of the diaphragm, perhaps even loss of air. But Ashi didn't let it happen.

Ashi let out a breath of air as she pulled her leg in with the blow. She avoided Aphi's blow, and put herself over the girl as well. When they were unarmed, it was advantageous position. One that Ashi did not wait to let pass. Her body barreled down on her sister, her own arms grabbing at the horned girl's arms to keep them from striking out, her other leg bending and wrapping about the support leg Aphi had.

The sudden motion and flexing of her limbs sent the pair of sisters to the ground, leaves and ash billowing up from their crumbled forms. Crumbled and tightly knit to the untrained eye, but a clear victor to Jack's. It was even more evident when one considered who Ashi had limbs on all of Aphi's own, but was laying on top of the other girl and holding her in place. In short, a pin.

"Enough," he spoke standing next to the sisters. Ashi and Aphi looked up to him, breathing heavily and waiting for him to speak. He waited for a moment, watching them and ensuring that neither of the sisters hoped to continue the fight. They weren't supposed to, as they had been doing this for a year, but sometimes the rivalry of siblings was a stronger motivator than his own teachings.

Though if he were to be honest, Aki and Adi were the only two who truly had to fear regarding sneaky tactics such as that. Nevertheless, it was time to teach the girls.

Jack lifted his hand, motioning for the pair of siblings. They stood up, clothes covered in sweat, forest growth, and spotted with Ash. Avi would not be pleased about having to clean them again.

"You've both done well. Prioritizing the weak area of the other, aiming for areas that would do the greatest damage and be the hardest to defend. And at the same moment, you both did well to avoid being struck when it happened." Both Aphi and Ashi beamed at the praise, postures straight and focused. "Now, do you know where you erred, Aphi, that allowed Ashi to gain the advantage?"

The quieter of the two girls opened her mouth for a moment, but said nothing in response. Her head only looked left and right, searching for an answer that couldn't be seen. She likely only saw the same ash that covered the floor they walked across.

"Aphi exposed herself to deliver the blow." Jack turned to Ashi as she took over for her sister. "It may be a requirement to expose one's self to strike out, but she did so while I still had a superior position, and therefore, was a greater risk than necessary. I took advantage of it." And she was correct, as the 'eldest' of the siblings so often did. Jack looked towards Aphi, the girl doing nothing more than bowing her head in acceptance. It earned a nod of his own.

"Correct," Jack spoke. "It also is good to remember that once you are pinned, you have few ways to escape. When you moved to pin Aphi, you must be aware that it also limits what you can do. That is to say, you cannot defend against another opponent while you have one pinned beneath you." The difficulties of being trapped between multiple foes.

"I understand, father." Ashi's dutiful response came with a bow of her head, one that Aphi mimicked in every way. "If I were to duel Aphi with Aki or Adi by her side, I would keep that in mind." Jack smiled beneath the length of his beard, well aware that she did not put Avi, Ahi, or Ami in the same list as the four of them. He spoke no argument to the response.

"Very well. And once more, you both did an excellent job." Jack congratulated the siblings with hands on their shoulders. They both looked up to him, beaming with his praise. It was praise they had well deserved. "Do you have any questions for me?" He suspected not, as they were not the same as their inquisitive siblings. It was always good to ask though. Children so often thought of ideas he believed impossible.

A shake of their heads confirmed his thoughts, however. Soon after they found themselves walking back through the forest, the small distance necessary to where the rest of their family had made an encampment. The woods that was covered in green foliage, fallen leaves, and ash the likes of which was more deserved at the edges of a volcano or ruins of a village. Neither were found here.

It wasn't a concern for him now, however. Jack was always more concerned with the little ones, swiftly growing, than anything else. It was a concern that grew as they moved from being no taller than waist high, to swiftly approaching just beneath his chest. Soon they may be able to look him in the eyes, thus making little ones a very inapt phrase.

"Looks like they're back!" Jack saw Ahi announce as they stepped into the clearing. The devil-horn haired girl waving at them as they approached. Her ladle was still sitting in the pot she was stirring, steam rising with a familiar and delicious scent. "Just about done cooking up the chicken and rice-bean soup. Pretty sure you'll need the protein, and the carbs will help your fatigue as well." She pointed at Ashi and Aphi as she spoke. "Not much I can do to save you from Avi if she sees your clothes, however."

Jack smiled as the siblings he had trained made noises of discontent, realizing their error. Wordlessly, they moved to another area just beyond sight, doubtlessly to change before their sibling returned. It left Ahi to snicker as she continued to cook.

"Oh yeah, dad, before I forget," the girl caught his attention again. "Ami and Adi were looking for you. Something they found over there, not sure what." Her finger pointed towards the small pathway they had cleared, a break in the otherwise mild foliage of the woods. "Pretty sure they're just down there, waiting for you and doing whatever it is they like to do." It was a long list.

"Thank you, Ahi," Jack responded to the child, who grinned at the praise as well. "Is there anything else you need for your dish?" He knew better, from the years she had cooked, than to leave before asking.

"Actually, yeah, if you can find it." She let go of her ladle, dropping down to search in her satchel for a moment. She came back up with a small piece of folded paper, tossing it towards Jack. He caught it, unfolding it as she began to speak. "Nothing I need to really complete the dish. It'd just help if you could find a bunchel of that for the dish. Greens are important for mood stability."

Jack nodded as he observed the vegetation illustrated on the page. For her to give it to him implied it was either common, or appeared, in the woods. Most other greens or vegetables came from the farms.

"Very well." Jack nodded with his words. "I'll return with Ami and Adi in a small while. I hope not to be too long."

"Please don't be," Ahi stood up as she held a small contained in one hand. Garnish sprinkled from it into the dish she continued to stir. "There isn't exactly a big window between cooking the meal and keeping it warm. You _can_ burn a soup you know, and I don't want to burn anything else in the woods." He nodded, understanding her words.

For the amount of Ash that decorate the woods, something else had to have been burned.

Jack made his way through the woods by Ahi's direction, pushing the branches that bundled with his beard and hair, pulling them away and preventing knots. The same ash that decorated the trees began to coat him as well, turning his black hair to an alabaster shade. He brushed off the soft dust, wondering for not the first time where so much of it had come from.

There were no open areas of the woods to imply it came from a recent fire, and no village or volcanoes decorated the landscape either. It appeared to have merely been dropped over the woods, by something unseen or unheard. Perhaps both. Or, more likely, perhaps the inquisitive siblings had found something as well. It wouldn't be long to find them.

"Ami, Adi," Jack spoke as he breached the clearing, seeing the pair of sisters standing before a rock formation. They turned to him, the bob-cut hair of Adi hidden partially beneath a large brimmed hat. A journal in her hands was being scribbled on with pen and ink she kept in great supply. The bangles horned hair of Ami stuck out above the thick goggles she wore, seemingly opaque with their fog and color.

"Hey dad," Adi spoke up, waving to him with her pen laced between her fingers. "How'd sparing go with Aphi and Ashi?" He smiled at her, the ever-inquisitive sister.

"They have improved greatly and soon will be able to keep up with me," Jack spoke honestly and evenly. They learned at a rate far above the rest of their siblings. "However, Ahi told me you have found something." The reminder immediately set off a bell in Adi's head. Ami only nodded in response, quiet as her more combative sibling.

"Yes, well, it is something that both Ami and I have discovered." Adi spoke as she flipped through the pages of her journal. "Ami has confirmed through seismography and tectonic plate mapping that we are far removed from any historically well-known or likely newly formed magma cracks in the earth, making the appearance of the dust and oddity we cannot understand."

Jack nodded, understanding most of what she said. Only most, not all.

"However, that is relating only to the heavy dust sediment that appears to be frequently, and rather evenly spread through the woods. The suspicion for this was that something else was intentionally spreading the dust, either through a sky burning or some other labor intensive act." Her eyes looked up to her sibling, the mechanically inclined of the two.

"I found something," Ami returned. "Namely that the ash is not volcanic in nature, belonging that it has majority of its cells closer to greenery and other forms of plantation." Jack watched her nodding. "I mean they are from a fire or burned vegetation, not volcanic ash."

"Ah," Jack now returned. "Does this mean you know where the fire took place?" The ash would have run if was old, through the constant ran of the woods. The siblings, however, shook their head.

"No, because instead we believe we found the _focus_ of the ash." Adi flipped pages in her book. "Or rather, _one_ of the foci in question." Jack folded his arms as they continued to speak.

"I was able to perform a density measurement of the ash in varying areas of the woods, mapping out a map of the expected elevations." Ami spoke up as she produced her now infamous tablet, a device that only she and Adi took pleasure in using. Ahi hated it telling her the efficiency of her cooking. "The data was able to produce an expected origin of the varying trials of dust, assuming low wind falls."

Jack stared at the map the mechanically gifted sister had produced. Beneath her thick goggles, the map showed an elevation of their woods, assumingly, with small dots outlined across it. Each dot was denoted by a measurement, of a small value such as mm or cm, and indicating the surface it was measured on. Jack was sure it was all very important, and he was glad that Ami understood it.

"We were able to track the data to an area nearby our camp, and we did find something." Ami finished as she twisted her tablet back around, flicking the screen as Adi closed her book. Jack watched the inquisitive sister reach up to a wall of vines behind the, covered in Ash as if a fore was blown atop it. With a mighty tug, the vines came down.

And revealed a statue, large and daunting, underneath. Jack's eyes widened as he stared at it, Jaw agape beneath the thick of his beard.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" It was impossible to not hear the excitement in Adi's voice. "I cannot carbon-date it yet, as the machinery involved is incapable of transport, but the level of detail etched into it show a great amount of care and focus put into it! Given its size and location, it's clear that it was chiseled and shaped her, but the rest of the nearby vegetation grew in around it, meaning that this structure may date to ages older than the forest itself, or at least this mapped section of it!"

Jack let the bob-cut girl speak on in jubilation. He continued to stare at the rounded eyes of the stone dragon, a figure he had seen many times before in his distant past.

"Further, to have endured this long would imply either a level of upkeep or care that is counter-intuitive to the level of vegetation that grew over it. That is also to ignore the ash that was deposited not only over it but the vines and some roots encroaching on its territory. However, I am not familiar with the design or history of this obelisk, as it has too many differences from other dragon like statues before, namely its box-like shape." She was looking for a reason for the ash. Jack wasn't looking at that.

He was looking at the Shaolin Dragon. He was looking at the tool of the monks.

"I recognize it." He spoke the words even as his eyes remained fixed on the statue. He knew where they were. "I know who made this. I know where we are."

"You do?!" Adi quickly replied, before collecting herself. "I-I mean, yeah, I know you would, a-and Ami knows _where_ we are as well, but… you know who made it?" She was curious, obviously, and it wasn't something Jack wanted to hide. He grinned the longer he stared forward.

They were in the presence of friends.

"Yes. They are-"

" _HYAAAAA!_ "

* * *

Avi wasn't like her sisters. She wasn't always prepared for danger. She never wanted to look for it.

She always looked for how things appeared, for how to make them look better. The arrangement of colors across a coat, the stem and stitch in the lining, the balance of weight through the fabric. Those were what she looked for when she was looking at others. When she was looking at nature, she looked for the balance in height, the separation between elements, the way they flowed, the way they meshed. That was what interested her.

The difference between the balance of nature and the balance of one's appearance was small to her eyes, something that she had come to realize over the many years she'd spent with her father and sisters. Clothes changed for nature, but the beauty of nature created a new beauty in clothing. It was something she enjoyed trying to find, the balance between both. Nature had its own, and she loved to match it.

Avi didn't care for the why or how like Ami or Adi. She didn't care to make change like Ashi or Aki. She didn't want to know how to use nature like Ahi or defend from it like Aphi. That wasn't what she wanted to find.

She wanted to find balance, because that was what gave her peace of mind.

What often shattered her peace of mind, and she was sure it would for many others, was the disruption of nature, ruining what was in balance. Ripping clothes, dirtying the colors, burning trees, clogging rivers, all things that were not meant to happen. These things did nothing to help her peace of mind.

Neither did the ambush of warriors.

Avi only realized they were under attack when she saw a palm strike sail towards her, aimed for her chest. The teachings of her father told her to divert and dodge, not to panic. Her hand hit the wrist of the oncoming attack, bending in the same direction as the hand she used. It worked to avoid the blow, but only the first.

The foot that swept the ground out from underneath her made her tumble backwards, nearly knocking the air from her as her back hit the dirt. She had enough time to gasp in pain, her long hair falling over her face, before she saw her assailant's foot slamming towards her. She reacted the same.

Her foot rose to push the descending strike away from her, forcing it to slam into the dirt and ash next to her. It left Avi beneath her assailant's feet, a position both advantageous and risky. As her father taught her, she took a risk.

The long-haired sister struck out with both of her fists, aimed for the knees of the attacker. He bent his legs before her blows struck, making them glance along this shins and leaving her open. An opening he took advantage of with a raised open palm, the digits aimed towards her. Instinctively, Avi raised her arms to defend herself.

_SLAP_ Her defense was not necessary.

She saw the man's hand be struck away, just before he was attacked by the spinning foot of her sister, striking at her lower back and forcing him to real over and away from her. It freed Avi from her position beneath him. She rose quickly to defend herself.

"Avi! You okay?" Avi heard Aki ask her, her sibling standing in the posture of the Ox, arms close and head bowed. "He get you anywhere? Anywhere I should match on him?" She shook her head at her sister's concern, the bow in her hair whipping with her effort.

"N-No, I'm… I'm okay," she returned carefully, taking deep breaths to recover herself. She took the time to eye the man across from them, as he now did with them. The glare was what she saw first, the focus on them. Avi focused on what he wore, as it would tell her who he was.

He was dressed unlike the normal assassins that they were used to, Aku's minions that attempted to harm their father and her siblings. His clothes were much brighter, a shade of orange that appeared more appropriate for the tropical sands, but flowed easily across his body. A chain of beads were woven around his neck, appearing very close to the prayer beads. They were easily visible as he struck the posture of the crane, a foot raised into the air and arms extended forward and back.

Wait… the crane? How did he know that?

"You stay here," Aki spoke up, her eyes on the man. "Back me up if he gets in a lucky shot. Strike high, cause I'll go low." The bow charged low, but the crane struck high. Aki didn't know!

"Wait, Aki!" Avi yelled to her sister, but the energetic sibling was already charging forward. The man was prepared for her, but she didn't see that. She was striking like an Ox, but he was patient as the Crane. How did he know the Crane?

Aki's fist struck towards the man's center, her feet moving to secure their ground with each blow. It was meant to make her blows stronger, and her defense greater, against an opponent that struck out swiftly. A low center of mass. However, the man's extended hands were able to swim past her blows, pushing them as he crouched and leapt over each swing, dancing around her as he searched for an opening of his own.

Her rambunctious sibling didn't offer him one, as she rarely let anyone see, instead, switching her stance to that of the snake. Swift blows meant to strike clean and true, a single strike to end a great duel. But the snake was weak to the crane, that waited for the snake to be vulnerable.

The man's foot beat away the swift strike of Aki's clutched hand, jumping back as to keep his posture and stance sure, but using his arms to balance as he did so. A palm against a tree, a grip on a branch, a twist of a vine, all to ensure that he was as sure on his one foot as Aki was on two. And it was working. Avi knew it was working, she could see it.

Because Aki struck high, aimed for the man's neck. It was a true strike, but one the man's foot quickly swept away. Away in time for him to spin with his other raised foot, striking at Aki with the sole of his foot.

_BAM!_

Avi winced as Aki took the blow to her chest, sending her flying back and to Avi's side. She caught her sister, keeping her from painfully tumbling across whatever lay beneath the pale ash of the woods. She raised her own hand in defense, careful of the man's approach. But he did not.

Instead, Avi saw him standing in the clearing of ash made by the duel between him and Aki. Waiting patiently like the crane, swinging on his feet and swaying in the wind. He knew the stance well then. Better than she did, better than _Aki_ did. That was bad.

"Lucky… shot…" Aki let out, taking in long breaths to collect herself. She leaned on Avi's arm, offered for support. "Guy knows how to… get the right foot in…" He knew more than that, Avi realized.

"We should get Ashi, or Aphi," Avi stated. They were the best fighters of their family. "Father will be back in time with Adi and Ami, a-and we can hold him off until then." They had held off others before.

But then again, they hadn't fought those who knew the same stances as their father. The Crane's defense of the Ox and Snake. Aphi, however, knew the Buffalo and Monkey. Those would work well against the stance.

" _HYAAAAA!_ "

Avi turned her head at the shout, a battle cry she knew was familiar with. Aki did the same.

They saw Aphi and Ashi dueling with _another_ man. A man dressed striking similar to the one they were fighting. They were dueling him on the offense, their forms switching between the Crane, the Ox, the Buffalo, the Monkey, and the Tortoise at speeds Avi couldn't match.

She couldn't, but the man could. Matching the both of them, Aphi and Ashi, blow for blow on the defense. He gained no ground, but he didn't lose any either. Their feet were treading the exposed forest floor, free of the ash they had kicked up. They were dodging and swimming through the land, all around the person in question.

Ahi, crouched next to her bowl of soup, and not knowing what to do. Nto an idea s she watched Aphi and Ashi duel one man of orange, and Aki and herself faring against another. Men that had to be, or at least likely were, friends.

Partners, comrades, allies. All those things. But at the end of the day, their enemy.

Avi turned back towards the man, who had not moved from the beaten forest floor, swaying above the ash they had kicked free. He didn't strike when they were exposed, but he didn't retreat. Waiting than, but for what?

"Kay, this is bad," Aki spoke up. She started to push herself to her feet, rising off of Avi's support. "Dude knows how to fight, and fight like _us_." If the situation were less dire, Avi would compliment on Aki's observations. However, she did not have the heart. Not while she was trying to figure out how the man knew so much on how they fought. Both men. "We need to think of something, something smart and something _cool_." Maybe not cool, but something at all was correct.

But Avi was not a fight. She was a thinker of balance and peace. Not fighting like this.

"The Crane flies from the Monkey and Cricket, but strikes the Snake and Ox," Avi listed out her father's words, the poem that she memorized nearly a year ago as her siblings learned the forms. It made remembering the stances easier, balancing them as it were. "But… but one who swims between all forms is matched only by a current that is stronger than itself." And that was what Aphi and Ashi fought.

A man battling their switching forms with a speed that they struggled to equal, matching only because it was two to one. The idea that balance was reached through an inequality was not good. When a single hill could support many trees, it was a strong hill. When a single fighter could best many others, he was a strong fighter.

This was a strong man, and likely they both were.

"Time's up then. Time to go!" Avi looked just in time for Aki to rush forward, again. She raised her hands, but didn't know what to say or do.

So instead, she watched Aki strike as the Cricket, swinging her arms before pulling them in, trying to draw in the swaying arms of the man's Crane. He ducked between what he could, retreated from the others, but he lost ground as Aki continued her approach. A reach for his head countered by a duck and roll, a strong kick avoided by a flip of the back, but all backwards. It didn't last.

The man changed his stance to the Ox, and he began to strike out again. Aki reached for his arm, grabbing it in the crux of her wrist, but the man pushed forward with the blow, barreling into Aki. Avi bit her lip as Aki rolled from the exchange, righting herself with arms raised in defense. Ash covered her body, taken from the forest floor. The man however, only had it about the shins of his orange suit and palms of his tan hands.

The misbalance in ash showed the inequality of strength. Aki was losing to the man. Aphi and Ashi were equal. They weren't strong enough.

"Girls!" Avi smiled brightly at the call. She turned to see their father running from the woods, followed by Adi and Ami.

Their father, throwing away his garb his armor and showing his strength. Their father, running to their aid without a moment's of hestitation. Their father, the man who had taught them of how to fight, survive, learn, and grow.

Their father was here, so they would be okay.

"Dad!" Aki yelled, grinning past her ash covered arms. "Help me take this guy down! He fights like you, but he's weak as hell." Avi blushed at the insult, but spoke no words of complain for Aki's words. She was right after all. "Ashi and Aphi got another dude their dancing with, but if we take _this_ guy out now, then we can take care of the other one faster than Ahi can cook a tuna!"

Aki wasn't one for plans, but she was right about this. It made sense. Aphi and Ashi could handle themselves more than her other sisters. Their dad was strong, so much so that almost anyone he fought had no chance. This man knew his fighting style, but that didn't mean he could win.

Avi watched her dad stare at the man, still as the man who watched him in return. The wait for the first move, likely. It was what happened often in nature and in fighting. The first to break balance of concentration. It was a contest to see who would break first.

"Samurai Jack." Avi turned to the orange garbed man. He spoke, and he knew their father. "I did not believe it was you."

"I am surprised to see you as well." Avi looked at their father. Why wasn't he adopting the pose of the Monkey? Or the Crane? "I didn't not realize we were so close to the temple, not until I saw the statue. Not until I saw you." Avi's eyes widened at the words.

"Wait, dad, you know him?" Aki's concern was valid. It was one Avi shared. This wasn't what she expected, which meant something was off. "The dude just jumped and attacked Avi outta no where and that's it? Not to mention his friend still fighting Aphi and Ashi!" That was true, they were still fighting. Avi nodded her head and looked at the ongoing fight.

Only to see Aphi smiling as she dodged a kick above her head, Ashi grinning as she snaked underneath for a strike, and the man they fought casting a smirk as he twirled out of their way. The balance of a fight meant foes fighting out of anger didn't smile. Smiling was meant for enjoyment. Aphi and Ashi enjoyed fighting each other and their father, not enemies.

"They're sparing, not fighting. They must have realized quickly that you fight as they do." Avi listened to her dad, listened as she watched him fold his arms and grin from beneath his long beard. He was relaxed, happy even. That was not what Avi expected, not when the fight before was so intense. "But Aki is right. You did strike at Avi unnecessarily."

"I was meant to test the mettle of your company, not to injure them in a duel." Avi watched the man lower himself back to a neutral posture, standing like her father would before a noble that offered to hosue them for the night, with hands folded behind his back. "They have talent, to be sure, instincts as well. For those so young, it is a marvel to behold. Though I must confess. Knowing who they come from makes it almost an expectation." Where they come from? Did he know about the Red Mountain?

Avi's dad walked forward, boots beating the ash from the ground as he approached the cleared patch of land the man stood in. When they were eye-to-eye with one another, the man extended his hand towards her dad. He grasped it, shaking it, as friends did in many of the towns they had seen.

Then they embraced like family.

Avi looked back to Ami and Adi, watching as Ami took pictures on her tablet and Ami made notes on her journal. Neither were looking away. Aki raised her hands and shook her head when they saw one another, just as confused as Avi felt. There was no imbalance present, but… she didn't know what was going on.

"It has been too long, samurai," the man spoke from above her dad's shoulder. "Too long since Grand Master Tam Sung and the Shaolin have seen you." Avi did not know those names.

"Then I am glad to see you once more," her dad returned. "For it is important to return to where we grew from." Avi didn't know what to say that.

"The hell?" Aki did, apparently.

* * *

The temple had not changed.

It had been forty-four years since Jack last walked these halls, and millennia before that, and still it looked scantly different. It was as if the years treated the old stone and carved halls with the same apathy that it treated him. He knew it was not the case, as there were many students walking the halls, many who trained in rooms that they walked past and cared for the building as they walked through. The tall and long halls that could befit a parade of Chinese capital, or an orchestra of master musicians. The temple lacked nothing in size.

Jack could tell the tiles that had been replaced as weather and time led to crack and ruin, the statues and sculptures chiseled and painted to withstand times river, and even the walls they walked past, cleaned of the grim and ash that plagued the woods outside. Not a speck of the odd ash that Ami and Adi were researching traveled inside. Perhaps that was why they were the focus of attention, because everything else was merely maintain the old, and they were new.

Many eyes that watched him and the little ones curiously. Eyes that recognized him as the heralded samurai, the man who fell through time and was a master of the arts they continued to learn. Him and the little ones that were kept around him, the lithe girls clothed in appropriate garbs that acted like tourists to the temple they lived in.

It was a fair trade for them to do so, as the girls were no less inquisitive or enthralled with the halls they walked through. All seven of the girls had eyes in every room they passed, studying the focused students as they harnessed their chi, memorizing the carvings that had been etched into stone millenia before their own births, and the cleanliness of a building in an otherwise uninhabited and isolated forest.

Adi and Ami, to little of Jack's surprise, were scribbling details across the journal and screen, taking pictures with what they could and memorizing everything else they could no.t. The monks that accompanied them smiled and humored the girls, proud of their heritage, their history, and more than willing to share it. He knew they were deserving of the focus.

Avi, however, kept close to Jack as they walked, closer to him despite her sisters so heavily invested in learning about the temple they walked through. The monks were focused on them as well, both entertaining and herding them forward towards an old friend. But not Avi. Avi remained focused on him.

Jack looked down at her, worried that perhaps the ambush of the monks earlier had done more to her than she let on. But a glance to her eyes showed it was the not the case. She did not shiver as she did in the midst of fights she was ill-prepared for, didn't wander towards Aphi or Ashi for protection.

"Is it alright to be here?" Avi questioned him quietly. "It so different from everywhere else." Jack didn't understand why. This was not how she normally reacted.

"We are here," one of the monks spoke, bowing lightly to the group as he stood before a door, a familiar door. A door that stood taller than many buildings, and wide enough to birth a rapid river. Time had not weakened the doors appearance.

Jack looked down at Avi, heeding still the girl's worried. He rubbed her shoulder, nodding and smiling at her question. They were allowed, and Tam Sung was an old friend. There was no reason to feel ill about their presence in this holy temple.

"I believe that Master Tam Sang will be thrilled to see you again, Samurai Jack. I trust your daughters will be respectful to the master in his presence." Jack wasn't insulted by the inquires or words. They were rules.

"They will be," Jack spoke, eyeing the girls as he confirmed their manners with eyes. He put his hand on Avi's head when he came to hers, earning the girl's calm smile. He wouldn't let her be put in harms way, she knew this. "We all will be."

"Very good. Then, may I introduce to you once more, Grand Master Tam Sung of the Shaolin Monks."

The monk slowly retreated from the front of the group, bowing as he walked backwards towards the door. As he did, a mighty boom echoed through the stone hall, accompanied by the mighty doors opening with a slow swing. Air blew past Jack and the girls, earning gasps of surprise from a few of the little ones. Jack only felt a grin widen beneath his disheveled beard. It was impossible not to as he drank in the familiar sight beyond.

The room beyond was still hardly considered a room at all. More open to nature itself than a porch of a farmer's shed and allowing the evening sun to dip through the foliage that grew around it. Foliage that consisted of strong vines lain across the ground, blooming lavender and aqua flowers that drooped and sagged across their steams. It led to a glowing figure in the center of the room, wrapped in the woods as if they were a blanket.

And there sat Tam Sung, now a day old or younger than the many years ago Jack had seen him.

The same patient smile across aged lips.

The same content pose born from a balanced chi.

The same bloom of aura that came from the focus of his life force.

All the same… except the ash.

Ash, that Jack realized dropped around the ends of his vines and foliage like pollen in spring. It turned the content smile beneath his beard into one of concern and mild worry. Grand Master Tam Sung did not look injured, but as Ami and Adi said, the ash was ill-natural. For it to be here was something… wrong. Avi's words rang in his head.

" _Samurai Jack_." Other words rang as well. " _It has been too long since last we spoke. Too long since last I laid eyes upon you. Too long, but now no longer._ " Jack sighed at the familiar voice.

The girls did not.

"Whoa! Huh? What was that?" The boisterous Aki let out, the girl looking around as if to see the method to which she heard the voice. "The heck was that? Am I goin' crazy? Cause I promise I did _not_ have that cannabis! It's still in the backpack." Jack smiled at the young one, patiently. Even if her confession would earn a discussion later.

Ethereal laughter filled the room, a laughter that joined with soft chuckling. The look Aki gave him in return was one of betrayal, as if her sisters had placed another slug in her boot for skipping on camp preparations.

" _Ah, young one, you have no reason to fear for your mind_." Tam spoke once more. The girl whipped around to the man on the floor, one with nature. The purple mascara of her eyes nearly ran with how wide her eyes grew. " _What you hear is what you see. I am no intruding upon you, as you are the ones who agreed to meet me_."

"Whoa." Was all Aki simply returned. "That's… that's crazy. That's _really_ crazy. Crazy awesome, yeah, I'll admit. But… geez dad, you think you could've warned us?" The samurai blinked as the girl looked back at him, scratching her mestled hair as she glared at him. He shook his head in response. He honestly could not.

"No… he couldn't have." All eyes turned to Adi as she spoke now, adjusting the brim of her hat, even as she leaned forward towards the man, though still some distance away. "This is an unprecedented phenomena, natural or otherwise, that appears to combine the human nature and senses with those of the natural life force of the forest. This is something that has been only _theorized_ by some cultures and religions. For it to actually occur… it must be a secret of some great renown."

"And speaking of it at all outside these walls would risk the stability and strength of this temple," Ashi finished for her sister. A leader that looked to have all the answers. "It isn't a matter of trusting us, it was a matter of trusting all those around us, even those we could not see." And she had all the wisdom to be one, as Jack noted.

" _Hahaha, you have wise children, young Samurai_ ," Tam's ethereal voice spoke again. " _Having seen so little of this holy temple, and even just glances upon my current form, and they have deduced not only the reason for your silence, but also our isolation._ " Jack nodded in response to the old friend's words. They were very smart kids, of that he was sure.

"This is… oh geez I have no idea how I'm going to get used to this." Aki put her hands to her head and shook it. It was a humorous sight, to be sure, especially amongst her siblings. "Someone's talking in my head and I'm feeling like I'm walking on ash clouds." However, it was neither the time nor place for it.

Jack put a hand to the girl's shoulder, jolting her. It took only a quick moment to look into his eyes that she realized her mistake. She was brash, but she was far from reserved.

"Crap, um," Aki began, quickly turning back towards Tam Sung. Her bow was poised, despite her rough nature. "I'm sorry about freaking out just now Mr. Grand Master Tam Sung. I should be used to things like this, or at least close, but I'm not. So… sorry again about that." Jack heard Ashi give a harsh sigh from between her sisters.

" _Think little of it, young Aki_." Jack held back a grin as the girl jolted at her name. " _Do not think ill of my knowledge. I merely observed you and your group as you approached our temple. The woods have been kind to warn us of unknowns. And I must confess, I did not recognize the samurai at first, nor did I suspect he would have such a large family in tow_."

And he did not either or would not have just four years ago. But despite the forty years prior, he now felt more at ease with the little ones around him than he ever did in this dark future alone.

" _But Samurai Jack, I must confess that I was surprised to hear that you did not take the portal in time that my students led you to._ " The girls whispered around him as Tam Sung spoke. " _I am not disappointed, merely surprised. I suspected you would think the world more important than a pair of young students, especially one such as yourself, thrown into this harsh land. Yet, from what I see before me, I am pleased to see that you staying has led to you sharing a bit more of your light with this bleak future_."

"And I as well," Jack returned. He knew the girls were looking at him. He could tell because Aki did not hide her proud smirk and Avi was standing very close to him. "I can only hope that it is something continues no matter the years that follow."

"It will, father. You can be sure of that." Ami smiled beneath her thick goggles. Her confidence was not something to be questioned. "I have yet to think of a way that we are not separated."

"Yeah, we're all in this together. You saved us from that stupid mountain, so now we're out here surviving for fun!" Aki held up her thumb in approval of her own words. Her energy was like Ami's confidence, impossible to comprehend.

" _It is never a poor sight to witness, the resilience of youth within years of torment_." Jack felt his smile dip at the words. Tam's statue like posture didn't shift with his words. " _Even the many students that we bring to our temple, not all of them can maintain hope and peace in such a way as yours._ "

"And yet I see that your temple and people remain vibrant in an otherwise abandoned land." Jack returned with compliments. Tam deserved them well. "Your students do not lack in ability either, and the care they maintain for their home shows their loved for it."

" _Very true, very honest,"_ Tam noted. " _And it is why I must share my own observation as well, of your seemingly endless youth._ " Jack sighed through the thick of his beard. " _Last I recall, you say this was not the result of your chi, but of a trick of darkness. I do not believe such a trick may last for so long, young Samurai_."

He didn't know either.

"And I am still looking for a reason as well." Jack felt Avi grab the back of his arm a bit tighter. "Aku's magic has done something to me that I do not understand. I do not age. I do not grow old. And yet, I am still here looking for a way to return to the past."

" _Even though you know that there exist no more?_ " It was not something Jack wanted to hear, but the confirmation from the wise Grand Master was something he expected. " _It is a harsh truth, young Samurai, but one I feel you already knew. However, I am glad that you have grown from the torment that this knowledge wrought upon you_."

Jack looked at Tam now with hard eyes. The torment was not something many, or hardly any, knew. It was not something he spoke of or shared. It was not something he wanted the girls to know, or remember.

"Dad, what is he talking about?" Adi questioned first. Jack didn't respond.

" _I speak of nothing evil or vile, young Adi,_ " Tam Sung spoke to the girl. She only nodded slowly in reply. " _It is merely a product of my wisdom to be curious of things I do not fully see, and appreciate the resilience of those who work through dark times. And your father, following the knowledge of his mission's end, fell into a darkness himself_."

"Father?" Ashi now asked. For her to question meant unease. It meant a feeling all the little ones must have shared.

"Grand Master," Jack began carefully. "I thank you for admiring my resilience through those times. However, those are not times I wish to remember." There was a hardness to his words, and from the way the monks moved, he knew it was not how they expected him to respond. "I have moved on from then. I hope never to see such an _Omen_ again."

A slow sigh left him as he spoke, fists clutching as he remembered that horrid thing that followed him. Followed him in the shadows of mountains and trees, in the darkness of the night and the corners of the day.

Omens of a past that he failed to change the future that he was _trapped in for all eternity. Beyond the life of the little ones who called him father and saw him as a hero, to when they would cry to him and wonder why he could not save them from the death that he could not accept. Left to wander forever in a dark future that Aku ruled without relenting a scrap of land or life_.

"Dad!" Jack flinched.

Avi was grabbing his coat, shaking it harshly. Ahi was right beside her a hand on his shoulder. The rest of the girls were looking at Tam. Ashi and Aphi were in the positions of the crane and bull. The monks were in the water-buffalo stance.

Oh, this was his fault.

"Wait, _wait!_ " Jack spoke quickly, earning the attention of the girls. The tension broke with his words. "I apologize I… I had not thought of such things for some time. I did not meant to frighten you."

"Scare us?" Adi spoke up. She gripped Jack with both her hands, staring at him beneath the brim of her hat, eyes focused on him as if he were soon to disappear. "Dad, you've _never_ done that before. _Ever_. I-If you did, it was when were _ten_ or something!"

"She's right, father," Ami now. "Of all the logs that I have, this has never happened before." Not to them it hasn't.

"So naturally, we're a _bit_ wary at the men who made you freeze like that." Ashi spoke, though her stance was shaky. Jack nodded his head at their words. They were right, all of them. But they were wrong.

"No, girls, it's-"

" _They are right, young Samurai_." Jack's words fell to nothing as Tam Sung spoke. " _I did not think before I questioned, and as a consequence, I delivered unto you painful memories you long buried. It was a mistake on my part to bring them up unnecessarily. For that, I apologize._ " The words echoed through the minds of all present, calming tensions easily.

The little ones lowered their posture in time with the monks, feet settling back to the ground and arms returning to their sides. It was good, but it wasn't all.

"I accept your apology," Jack returned appropriately. "Though I do not believe it is needed. You did not know, and I had forgotten myself." And in truth, he had. The memories of the Omen had long since left his mind. Too many other worries, present and requiring attention, to think of the sins of his past.

" _And that is a blessing I believe you do not soon lose,_ " Tam spoke on. " _To have loved ones that bury your pain, leaving them beneath the soil so new memories, new hope, can bloom from the fertile soil is an amazing thing. The beauty of_ human _nature, as it were_." Jack looked down as something gripped his arm tightly. He saw Avi's hold had strengthened, her eyes shut to calm herself. " _I may be wise enough to recognize the strength of such bonds, but that does not mean I am free from the error. I did err when I spoke of your past, and thus my apologies are due_."

The glow of the room seemed to pulse with his words, rebounding across the stone walls and twisting vines in time. It was the same image of peace Jack remembered from decades ago, the last he saw of Tam. The decades were harsh to him, but they appeared to be inconsequential to the Grand Master of the Shaolin ways.

" _As recompense for my error, may I offer some words of wisdom or seeds of knowledge you may seek?_ " Tam offered. " _I lack any knowledge of ways to return to the past, young Samurai, as the woods and nature have yet to find another. But for the survival of the present, within these dark times, perhaps I may be able to offer something else you and your kin are curious of. It is the least I can offer as an old friend._ " Friends carried no debts, but Jack was not to turn away a hand of friendship.

"Thank you, Grand Master. But I do not have anything else I am curious of." Jack's words were honest. His worries were not born from ignorance or lack of knowledge. Merely time itself. "However, I do believe the girl shave questions of their own." They were the curious ones now, and two more than the rest of the siblings.

"Us?" Adi questioned, pointing at herself. Her eyes looked about the room, seeing the eyes of her siblings upon her, Jack included in the number. "Me?"

"You." Jack returned, nodding towards the bob-cut girl. His head turned towards the other inquisitive member of the group. "And her."

"Me?" Ami voiced similarly to Adi, though her eyes were hidden beneath her goggles. "Us?" Her hand, however motioned between the pair.

"Both." Jack grinned with the words. "I believe you both had a curiosity of the woods, one you were looking to discover before we were found. Perhaps the Grand Master may be able to offer some assistance." Jack moved his eyes from the girls and back to the figure crouching upon the ground, one with nature.

Though his form didn't move and his only connection one of the mind, Jack knew his old friend was smiling with the words.

" _Offering the path of wisdom to those who wish to grow in its soil,_ " the Grand Master noted. " _I am not the only wise one here, am I?_ " Jack chuckled with the words, a sound that his old friend chorused. " _But yes, I may be able to offer assistance to you both. What may be this problem for which you are searching an answer for?_ "

The pair of girls looked between themselves nervously. Adi had he rhands rummaging through the pages of her journal when she broke contact with Ami, the more mechanical of the two tapping across her pad as well. Jack was patient for them, as were the rest of their siblings. It was hardly anything new to them.

"Um, we were wondering about, mostly about, the deposits through the forest." Adi started, before biting her tongue and shaking her head. "I-I mean the _ash_ deposits through the forest. Specifically their origin and reason for persisting in a non-arid environment."

"In more detail, the reason why they appear to congregate and seemingly originate from the statues that we found in the woods." Adi turned her pad to the glowing figure of Tam, though they were still some distance away. Jack spoke nothing, even as he heard Aki chuckle at the motion. "The measurement of the ash deposits show that they lose their volume the further they are from the etched stone, implying that they either originate or were spread outward from these structures."

"Yes, that, but we haven't found any reason for the ash to exist," Adi followed, a finger on the page of her book. "No charred areas to imply a fire, no volcanic or tectonic plate activity, and no wreckage or other damaged vessels to imply the reason for the ash existence. We want to know if there is a reason for this, one that we can understand."

The air hummed as Tam thought. A pregnant silence that was matched by the monks bowing their head as the question was raised. Jack waited patiently for the answer, as did the girls.

" _You are wise children, and should be proud of this._ " Tam's words began with a compliment. " _More than the reason why, I know of_ who _spread those ashes. The question of why is something we do not know ourselves._ "

"Who?" Adi parroted. "You mean this was spread by an outside source? That makes sense, but only to explain the data. It fails to account for motivation or reasoning. A who implies that there has to be a reason or motivation for any act, as a lack of who returns to natural developments which can be accounted for the culmination of unrelated events."

"Adi's getting deep again, dad," Aki spoke up from Jack's side. "Want me to do the usual?" Jack shook his head.

"Not right now." Their attention returned to Tam, Ami, and Adi.

" _Yes, young ones, a who is involved._ " Tam Sung spoke, returning the focus of Adi's rambling. " _The who that has spread the ash throughout the woods. The woods are where you likely observed the most of the ash, but that is not where it began_."

The wind whistled as the Grand Master spoke on. Jack listened intently, as he would a child memorizing the lessons of his teachers.

" _The ash began to fall within these temple walls._ " The samurai focused harshly on the words.

"That should not be possible," Ami spoke up. "Though you have a significant amount of yourself located in the exterior of the temple, the amount of ash deposits observed is far higher than one would expect. Further, with the data collected from the monks who attacked us, the idea of an intruder making their way inside to merely spread ash is highly dubious at best." The logical mind of Ami shown through.

" _And were the individual one of flesh and blood, your logic would be infallible._ " Tam complimented the words. " _But it was not a being of this world that spread the ash. Though nature speaks to me often of the spirits that reside in the woods, they have uttered not even a whisper of the ghost that seems to haunt us now_."

"A ghost is spreading ashes." Adi spoke as if it were a fact. "Many cultures note that ghosts may leave behind or alter the physical environment to leaves messages. However, ash does not appear to be a common symbolism in them." It was only when she finished that Jack realized that Adi was looking through another book of text as she spoke.

" _Dear child, it is not a ghost that haunts us._ " Both girls looked back at the Grand Master as is voice echoed through their minds. " _The being appears as a ghost, but one of mortal soul it is not. Rather, the distinction from the cycle of nature begets her to be something more. Beyond what the mortal coils may allow_."

Jack had a suspicion of where the Grand Master was going. He had met many beings of grand power before, many as mysterious as ghosts, and as formless as air.

" _It is an Angel of Ash that haunts us_." That was not one of them.

"An… angel?" Ami questioned.

"Would this be of Geo-Christian decent?" Adi asked without missing a beat. "No, not them. Angels do not act in such a way of warnigns. Dreams are the closest they usual come. I… I don't know what would be close to this."

" _There is no closer than recognizing what is_ ," Tam Sung spoke to the girls. " _The Ash Angel has been witnessed by a few of my students, a formless being of gray that ghosts through the temple. Ash is left in its wake and nothing more. Nothing is ruined, nothing is wasted, only ash left behind. Ash that we can only brush away, but never be rid of_."

Jack recalled the cleanliness of the temple as they walked through the halls. The unmarred floor, the walls, the reliefs. They were all cleaned, and were constantly being cleaned, by the students. All to keep the ash away.

"Is the angel warning you that death is coming?" Jack questioned carefully. It would not be the first time a spirit gave an omen of an approaching end. The memory of his own Omen was large in his mind. "A threat upon your temple.

" _No, young Samurai. Not in the sense that our way of life is being threatened."_ Tam's voice vibrated lower as he spoke. " _I believe the Ash Angel is warning me of my longevity and mine alone. Warning me that I fight nature when I should accept an end._ " That was not something Jack could easily accept.

"That can't be true." It took the samurai a moment to realize who had spoken from the little ones.

He was surprised to see Avi voicing herself from them, stepping away from him as she spoke.

"Ash comes from ruin, from something burned or killed." Ami nodded at Avi's words, admitting the trueness of the statement. "For the angel to spread ashes about you, around the forest, as some kind of sign for your age doesn't make sense. It would… it would be a harmful thought."

" _Truly, young one?"_ Tam questioned. " _May I request you enlighten me of your reasoning?_ " Both monks looked at their Grand Master before the girl again. Jack felt a swell of pride, but hid his grin beneath the thickness of his beard.

The strength Avi was momentarily gifted with appeared to have been robbed from her in the next moment. The girl's stance shook at the idea, looking about her sisters, the monks, Tam Sung, and Samurai Jack all looking at her. He could see the unease in her eyes. He offered only a patient smile and nod of his head in return. It was all the girls ever needed to know he was there for them.

"I-I mean, that is… I don't understand spreading ash to warn you of… you." Her hand extended towards Tam as she spoke. This was not easy for her. "Ash comes from death, and to destroy something else, o-or to create an aspect of it as a warning… it would mean that the angel is, um, inconsiderate of the _younger_ life of the woods. Because… the ash would _choke_ that life. But it wouldn't harm _you_."

"You're saying that the angel is being inconsiderate to other life in the vicinity of the temple?" Ami questioned her sister. "Though a spirit that it is, we have numerous data entries of spirits being harmful to non-related individuals while spiting their intended target." Jack could not fault the googled girl.

"N-No, not that," Avi dismissed. "I mean, um, why would an Angel of Ash spread ash as a warning of death instead of… something else. W-Why not fire, o-or skeletons or… something else that would be a warning." Jack nodded slowly at her words. There was a sense to it. "A-And then why everywhere? If it was just you, Grand Master then… wouldn't the angel only be focused on you? Why the temple, o-or the woods it… it doesn't make sense."

The air hummed with Tam's voice, a noise that Jack mimicked with his own. That was true, and jack believed it. Adi and Ami were the more inquisitive of their seven siblings. But Avi, more than the others, always saw the beauty in purpose in things.

Never truer was that than now.

" _You have given me much to consider, young Avi._ " The girl blushed at the words, bowing her head and letting her long hair drape forward, shifting her pink bow. " _I see no error with your words, and it only shows that even with millennia behind me, there will always be wisdom to be gained_." The Grand Master and elder of the Shaolin chuckled through the air, voice deep and rich. " _We have exchanged knowledge, but perhaps now we can trade each other some hospitality._ "

"Oh?" Jack questioned. He had truthfully forgotten about the days and nights he had spent in the temple, so many years ago.

" _Capable as you all are, I believe little replaces a well-made bed and warm food. Both of which we can provide for you all. Gifts of the Shaolin to the young Samurai and his younger wards_."

The pair of monks in the room bowed deeply with the words, an action Tam was incapable of making. It was clear that the offer was not one born of thanks, but welcome. Not for helping the mystery to be solved, but for being present at all.

Friends were rare in the dark future, so the bonds of the past were always due to be renewed.

"I humbly accept, Grand Master Tam Sung." Jack bowed deeply with his acceptance. "And I thank you on behalf of myself and the girls."

" _Thanks are unnecessary, young Samurai_ ," Tam returned. " _It is as the man of kilts would say. Friends carry no debts_." And Family held no regrets.

Jack smiled kindly to his old friend with the words, a silence that was birthed from the room of vines and stone, between the man who had lived through history and the other that had endured it.

It was broken when Jack felt a tug on his arm.

"So they're going to make up for the chicken soup then?" Ahi questioned beside him. "Because that was good chicken soup I made, and I didn't get a chance to share it."

Jack smiled as he tussled the girl's hair, Tam joining in his laughter.

* * *

She was worried for her father. They all were. They had _never_ seen him like that.

It was on her mind as they left the chambers of the Grand Master, being led to a dining area with the other monks garbed in orange and strips of yellow. It was on her mind as the monks kindly bowed to them, offering them mats to sit on and food to eat. It was on her mind as he father smiled and thanked the monks that he both knew and first met, welcoming the warm food and company.

Avi didn't say a word though, not to her father and not her sisters. Her father appeared happy. If she were to voice the concern now, it would ruin the atmosphere. And a safe place, a warm atmosphere, was something to be cherished. Warm colors that came with matching food, a large room without fear of being attacked or needing to defend, was something that she and her sisters were welcomed to often see.

It wasn't on all their minds now, Avi knew that. Her sisters hadn't forgotten, but they heeded their father's request to relax.

They were thinking about where they were. How they were surrounded by the Shaolin monks in vibrant orange robes, well pressed and stitched, being served plates of salad and vegetables topped with plucked goose. The goose was dry, but the greens were vibrant and rich. Ahi wasn't allowed to complain, per their dad's request.

"What did you do to prepare the goose? I mean after you defeathered it, of course. Did you cook the bird whole or turn it to strips first?" She could not complain, but as was common to happen whenever they at in the company of another, her questions of the food were near unending. "Because if you cooked the bird whole, it allows the fat and juices that come out of the heating process to be reabsorbed, adding a fatty tasty to the meat!"

"Can't you already tell that then?" Aki asked their sister. "You've got the tongue of a freaking triple-headed dog over there and you're asking them how they cooked it? I'd bet a buck that you already know."

"I have a guess, yes, but that's not a hard fact. I want to know so I can _match this_ then _improve it_!" Her confidence and declaration were far from uncommon. "And I can't improve something if they already cooked it in the way that I'd prepare it."

"Eat first, then have discussions with the chef," their dad instructed from across them. Ahi heeded his words instantly, though with a bite to her lip. "I'm not saying you can't ask, but meals for the Shaolin are meant to be peaceful and free from thought. It helps to relax the mind and ease the body."

Avi looked around at the words of her father. And he was right, like he always was. The monks that sat around them in the room, either along the walls or bowed before small tables, all ate in complete silence, slow and carefully with the salad and meat presented to them. It meant they were making the most noise, breaking the balance.

The idea of her sisters ruining the balance of these monks was an appalling thought to her. Not when they had clearly done so well to beautify their temple, selves, and land around them. All except for the angel of Ash…

"Meditation through ingestion," Adi added without missing a beat. "It is common in many wandering tribes to be patient with meals in order to focus on the tasks that need to be performed either through the rest of the day or in the harsher climates of the night."

"Slower eating also results in better digestion of nutrients and materials." Ami added next. She snaked a long piece of meat from her salad to her mouth, dropping it from her chopsticks to her open maw. "If you rush eating, your saliva doesn't have time to break down the large chunks of food into the macromolecules your digestive juices then further disseminate."

"Alright, alright, I'll eat first and slowly." Ahi grumbled as she took another leaf from the salad bowl. It dripped with something Avi didn't recognize. "Give me time to figure out how they made the dressings." She mumbled before taking a bite of the crunchy leaf, chowing down on it. "Lot of vinegar, but with a thickener like mayonnaise added to it. Not mayonnaise though, no eggs."

"Don't speak with your mouth full." Ashi chastised Ahi for their father. Her chopsticks pointed at the dual-horned sister, even as her own posture closely mirrored their father's. "Chew, swallow, then speak when you are done." Avi smiled at her sister's words. She never left room for complaint or argument.

She took a bite of her own salad again, tasting the greenery and stripped carrots on top. There were some fruits in the bowl, things she didn't recognize, but they went well with the sauce that Ahi was still trying to deduce. Her goose remained uneaten on a plate next to her, waiting for her hunger to get the best of her. She didn't like eating meat, but Ahi and her father were stringent on ensuring she ate it.

The monks around them had their eyes shut as they ate, lips smiling as they chewed their food almost soundlessly. She couldn't tell if it was the contentness of their place in the world or their company. It could have been either. A lot of people smiled when they were around their father. He was that amazing.

Someone who would walk into a strange land and save the people because they asked.

Someone that endured decades alone when Avi herself could hardly stand minutes.

Someone that, apparently, had buried a deep pain and hidden it from them all. Avi still hadn't forgotten. She couldn't forget.

It was like a wound beneath a bandage. No matter the dressing she applied or the colors she painted it, the wound was still present, still an ugly red or disfigured purple, and no dressing or make-up could correct it. Nothing would set it right but time itself. But time wasn't helping her father. Or was it? She couldn't tell.

The Grand Master had shown her father was not alright, but he had not shown any pain for years, not to Avi or her sisters. Was that the balance he maintained? The pain of his past for their present? She didn't know, couldn't know, and that bothered her.

She hid a sigh by taking a bite of the goose. It was moist, easy to chew, and so much harder to swallow than the crunchy leaves of the salad. She swallowed her pride with the meat though. It was what her father wanted.

Avi turned away from her food again, chewing as she looked about the large room they were in. A monk or two stood as they finished their meal, walking away with hands folded behind their backs, dishes set on the table they knelt at. Someone one collect them then, like a restaurant, but not a restaurant. This wasn't like a city of Aku. This was a guarded temple.

A temple that showed a balance of color and life, of peace and content. The kind of balance she enjoyed to see. One that was being lightly threatened by the Angel of Ash. An angel that drifted like mist…

Wait…

Avi blinked, looking back at a far wall in the temple dining room, past the monks that still knelt at their tables and others rising as they finished. She traced a wall that was golden green, a mirage of the forest light and relief carvings. She stared at it, unblinking and unmoving. Because if she moved, she wouldn't be able to convince herself that the figure she saw was.

A figure that was pale as snow, and translucent as glass. A figure that drifted across the walls like mist, fell like snow, and left without a sound.

Avi looked around herself in a panic, for any monk, sibling, or even her father to see what she saw. If they had, then they could act. If they had, then she wouldn't feel crazy, delusional, off balance. Someone else had to have seen it. It wasn't possible that none of them had.

But when she looked around, no one was speaking of it.

Ahi was still muttering about the salad and goose, Aki was teasing her, Adi was writing in her journal as she ate, Ami was doing the same to her pad, Aphi was silently staring at her food, Ashi was mimicking their father, and their father was smiling beneath his beard as he watched Ahi mull over her inability to decide. None of htem had reacted to the ghost on the wall.

No one, not even the monks. No one but her. Why only her? _How_ only her? Was it because she saw the imbalance? The streak of pale over the vibrant gold? Was it because she was looking for the change, the difference? She didn't know. Ami might now, Adi could know, but Avi didn't know.

She should speak to her father, tell him about it. If she told him, then he would know what to do. For sure he would.

But the image of him paralyzed in the room of the Grand Master returned to Avi's mind, never having fully left. The image of her father struck with a pain she couldn't see, frozen with something she could feel. It wasn't the Ash Angel that frightened, but she didn't know what did.

If Avi told him about the Ash Angel, about the being that was haunting the halls of the Shaolin, would he be okay? Yes, he would. He was their father, and he was invincible. But would he be okay in his mind? Would he remain balanced?

There, Avi wasn't so sure.

It was Tam Sung who reminded him of his past, and the Ash Angel was something the Grand Master could not understand. If that was true, then the balance of power meant it might awaken such thoughts in her father. Such pain that he would freeze in front of them again. Her father still as stone made Avi's gut quell.

No, that was too much. But… maybe she could find it. If she found the Ash Angel and told the others, then it would be alright, then they would be prepared.

She could find it, as she had just found it. It hadn't left long through the hallway of the dining hall, past the monks that hadn't noticed it and away from her family who hadn't seen it. It was just there. She could find it, leave it, and tell the others all before they noticed she had left. To do it, Avi only had to leave.

And like Ashi would say during their spars, indecision was the quickest path to defeat. She couldn't wait.

She rose from the table silent as air, drifting pass the monks with shut eyes and others bowing out of the way. The hall she took was no different than the others her family was guided through, carved with reliefs, matched with stone, and painted elegantly at that. It was the same balance with the orange of the clothing the monks wore and greenery of the forest that was beautiful to see.

But there was something different now. Something that wasn't there before. It was something she had seen many times today, but not seen inside the temple, not outside of the Grand Master's room. It was something, she heard, that was cleaned often when it appeared.

Ash. A thin long trail of pale ash across the tiled ground.

Avi stared at it, taking it in. It horribly clashed with the tan stone the temple was lined with, strewn like a holed bag of salt. It mared the ground that it was on, forcing her to stare at it. It stood out to much to _not_ look at it. And that was the point. It had to be.

It was a trail, and she had to follow it.

* * *

"Rooms have been prepared for you and your children, samurai," the monk spoke as they traded down the immaculate halls. Jack nodded in turn. "We do not often have visitors, so we were unable to prepare a room for each of you."

"That's fine with me," Aki spoke before Jack could respond himself. "Spend most of the time bundled together I the woods or wherever anyways. Not like we were expecting this to be some kind of super famous hotel or anything. Soft beds is good enough for me to think of it as four stars." He sighed with the child's words. Her attitude and demeanor were often as spiky as her hair.

"No, no, this is going to be great! The earliest records of Shaolin temples date back to thirty years A.A! No new data regarding the living spaces and culture exist in the modern day!" The excitement poured off of Adi as she spoke, enough to make Jack grin beneath his long beard. The girl's excitement for the new and undiscovered as a contagious thing. It was likely she'd have many questions now, knowing that he was apart of their order once. "That reminds me. How long were _you_ a member of the Shaolin order dad? You never mentioned that before." And the devil spoke when his name was whispered.

"It never came up." And it never did. His past, when they had first met, was still haunting him. Still haunting him, as Tam's words and actions proved already. "Though if you are curious now, I will speak of what I can remember." He would not deny his child the path to knowledge. He would not for any of the little ones.

"There are a plethora of questions that need to be answered in that case." Ami followed her sister with her inquisitions and curiosities. The two most knowledgeable, and curious, of the seven children. "Aside from the cultural habits and martial arts mastery, questions need to be asked of technologies developed to create the pseudo-shielding necessary to survive in these forests without inviting malicious intent or intruders." Her eyes were unclear beneath her goggles.

"Wait, hold on, how do you know they haven't fought off other threats before? Like, they could have taken on a bandit raid yesterday for all you know." Aki leaned close to her sister as they continued to walk. Jack spoke nothing for the rivalry she smoldered. "You gotta spill the answers you learn, Ami."

"The deposition of the ash in the forest was neither disturbed heavily nor fresh, implying that it had been untreaded for no less than two weeks time." Her answer was clear and distinct. "Further, both the temples and the outside structures lack any fractures or superficial damage that could have come from blades, guns, or other forms of modern technology. Visual based information only, but it appears all damage accrued and not-yet treated is basic erosion due to time and elements, not combat."

"And because there is no damage to the temple, the possibility of them faring against foreign threats regularly is unlikely." Ashi finished for her sister. She was one to take the lead when she could, and she often did. "An assumption, of course, but you are rarely wrong when it comes to your data."

"You are correct that we do not face the evils of this land often, rarely if ever." The girls turned their attention back to the monk guiding them, listening intently as he spoke. Jack smiled patiently, following their guide as they turned down a new hall. He recognized the living quarters that they approached, hardly a day older than the last he saw them some forty-four years ago. "And so long as memory or direction to this place is kept hidden or forgotten, I may tell what little I know of the protection Grand Master Tam Sung offers."

"Can we be more open with the food?" Jack hid his chuckle with a scrap of his boot against the ground. He knew well that the other girls would turn to Ahi for the question, and her single track mind. "What? That was a good salad, and the best way to get the fiber in you is through the greenery like that. If I can keep our moods regular by copying that, I'll do it. I'm not going to turn down a good recipe when I see it."

"You are more than welcome to make the same meals as us." Jack heard the humor in the monk's voice as he spoke. He sounded no less amused that Jack was. Children were rare to see for the Shaolin, where their members came through direction of their inner spirit. Not families. "Though I will confess I do not know if a salad is considered a recipe."

"'Course it is! You have to put the right amount of the right ingredients or you'll get a mess of food that no one will want to eat. That's not even talking about the dressing that usually goes with it. The vinegar you used? That was some good stuff!" Jack was not sure what the difference was between the vinegar and the dressing. Ahi did, and that was enough.

"I will… ask if the recipe can be given to you," the monk returned. Jack heard Aki snickering. "In the meantime, for the night, your rooms are here and you will be well provided for." He stopped as he spoke, hand motioning towards three sets of doors. Jack recognized the area, though the wood of the doorways and carvings of the walls were all new, newer than the last he'd been here.

Adi opened one door with little hesitation, followed in by Ami just behind her. He heard the inquisitive pair of girls begin to speak at length, swiftly disappearing behind the walls of the room. There was little curiosity associated with what they were speaking of. No other sisters joined them, a habit formed through exposure. When Adi and Ami emptied their packs and minds, there was little room for anyone or anything else.

"The reliefs on the walls are well-maintained and detailed, likely etched with a sort of chiseling tool specifically for the purpose of art and sculpting." Adi's voice was echoed by the scratching of her pen through one of her many journals. "These are likely of the similar fighting stances and the animals they originate from, as depicted by the crane standing with a single perch and the monkey hanging from a lower limb."

"Postures between fighting stances of the now-recognized as 'Shaolin Arts' and the relief carvings are within a 90% confidence area." The snapping sound of a camera came from within, accompanied by a flash. Ami's tools were working hard in there, through her screen, camera, and self-made computer. "No discernable secrets to the martial art forms shown, likely purely for observation and recognition, but still well-detailed and maintained. Given limestone used for the carvings, a carbide steel chisel was most likely used."

Jack and the rest of the girls soon tuned out the enigmatic pair as they spoke on. There would be little rest in that room tonight. Aphi opened the next door over to the monk, Ahi and Aki following her inside. A whistle came from the doorway, one that Jack and Ashi recognized.

"Nice," he heard the most relaxed of the siblings approve. "I get what's got Ami and Adi so riled up at least. Definitely nicer than most rooms we get. Beds for sure are." Jack turned a curious eye to the monk at the words. The mats he remembered that were common to the Shaolin were not sized for comfort, but space.

"Good view, too. Plenty to see out the window even with all that dumb ash out there. Maybe I can spot a deer we can clean for breakfast tomorrow." Jack quirked his brows now. Those were not the living spaces of the Shaolin he was used to. Not the monks who favored the life of nature to the seclusion of a single room.

Wide windows, expansive architecture, detailed reliefs, and large beds were not this.

"We do not have guests often," the monk responded to Jack's look. "However, the few moments that we do, we try to ensure we give them the same peace that we have secured in this forgotten land. More than any other who has passed through here, you and your family are do this much." He bowed with his words, lowly and deeply.

"I thank you for the comfort and hospitality," Jack returned as he mimicked the bow. Ashi, just beside him, did the same. "It is more than necessary and worth our thanks."

"Thanks are unnecessary when it comes to you, samurai. No other has done so much for our ways and the preservation of the world as you." The log beard Jack wore kept his lips from showing, hid the smile of his disappointment. "Any peace of mind we may offer through this holy temple is yours to have. Your acts and deeds have earned this much." Perhaps, but there was still far more that he had not done.

"There is still much to do." It took Jack a moment to realize he was not the one who spoke. Ashi was standing again, her posture stiff but respectful, the tallest she reached just beneath Jack's chest line. "We humbly accept your hospitality and thanks, but we are not done yet. I am not sure when we will be." And now he blinked as he gazed down at the young girl, the self-described eldest of the seven.

Jack could recall many moments she took charge and took higher responsibilities than the others. He could name far fewer moments her words mimicked and then proceeded past his thoughts. If it was her growing, he missed the planting of the seed.

"So long as nature persists, nothing is truly finished." The monk returned the wise words, words Jack recognized from previous Grand Master Cheng. "You sound as determined as your father, young one. I am glad to see that you carry the same strength as him." Jack spoke no words to the falsehood of his strength. It was not his place to correct the perception of the Shaolin.

Instead, he watched the 'eldest' of the seven sisters blush as the words. She was fortunate, very much so, that neither Ami or Aki was there to witness it. If they had been, she would have been tormented by them for weeks to come.

"I-I thank you once more. And… And I thank you for taking care of us, again." The smiled returned to Jack's unseen lips, one the monk across form him bore as well.

The innocence of children was a calming thing, especially in a future full of darkness and want.

"Would you like to see the room now?" Jack asked Ashi, earning a grateful look from the girl. "I will leave it to you and Avi to decide which beds to claim as your own." Both girls were often the last to pick their places of rest. It would be fun to see who would decide first among them.

Ashi looked behind herself at the words, then past Jack. Her roaming eyes caused a bout of concern. Something was wrong.

When he turned to the monk, he saw the familiar man looking past them as well, before dipping his head into either door that the rest of the girls had entered. He emerged each time with a look of unease. The concern in Jack rose.

"Father," Ashi spoke to him now. "Where is Avi?"

A cold dread washed over Jack at the question.

* * *

She saw the Angel again, another glimpse of gray along the gold and green of the temple. It was enough to tell Avi she was following the right path. Enough o give her both confidence, and concern.

The trail of ash followed the angel, littering the ground with the same uneven line. The girl walked beside it, following it with her feet as the eyes traced the misty form of the Angel, looking for it whenever it darted out of her vision, hoping it would pop back in once again. It was either luck or a lack thereof that kept her from being noticed by the monks in the temple.

She'd seen none of them as she continued to walk the halls of the holy place, walking through the same clean halls with the same reliefs, looking for an angel that hug to them like moss, drifting over them like mist. It left the long-haired girl wide eyed and tip-toing through the stone building, nervous to be found by either the men who lived in it or the Angel that haunted it.

She didn't stop, however. Stopping would be admitting defeat, and her father would be blamed for it. If she found a way to help her father by finding the Angel, discovering a way to either exorcise or give peace to it, then perhaps her father would not be burdened with the memories of his past, not anymore than he already was.

But as Avi continued to walk through the stone halls, the halls began to change.

Color left halls in a slow drip. Each step she took forward was marked by a paler and paler shade of gold and green along the walls. The vibrant colors that gave the temple life were being bled for a calm and unfitting gray, the same gray as the Angel she followed and ash she trailed.

The reliefs that were drawn across the walls grew odder in detail, losing the history that Adi marveled at and starting to appear more in line with the aged images that they were. Dulled lines instead of sharp edges, pale stone instead of painted marble, missing features over detailed figures. All of it was happening as she continued to move forward step by step.

That all spoke little of the ash that she followed as well. The trail that it had begun as, a thin marker like string, began to widen and expand along the stone floor, covering it more and more. The tiles no longer appeared to have cracks, but appeared to instead be covered in the ash, as if they had been uncleaned for the decades between her father's last visit and now. So different, so harsh a contrast, to the vibrant and beautiful temple she and her sisters were welcomed into before.

She wanted to believe that it was the same, but looking ahead of her, Avi could not see how it was. The hallway was no longer clean. It was strewn with ash.

Ash that lined the ground, that painted the walls, that dusted the ceiling. Ash that fell like snowflakes in the winter, soundlessly drifting from the high ceiling to the stone floor. It was no longer a blanket let alone a string. It was a mist that covered everything, the same mist that the Angel appeared to be made of. A soundless fall of pale flecks of ash that stole the color of the temple in the same time it took the sound and life.

The absence of it all left Avi looking down at herself, breathing heavily to hear her own voice. It sounded muted in comparison to before, her footsteps muffled by the ash she stepped through. Even her clothes, garbed darkly like her father's but stitched to better match her lithe figure, looked slacked and unmetered as the ash began to coat her. It was like the snow from the mountains, but without the biting cold or ripping wind.

It was comforting and disturbing, inviting and repulsive. It was a balance that Avi didn't understand. She'd been through the ash of villages before with her father and sisters, seeing the ruin that was left by the marauders, thieves, bandits, and assassins of Aku. But this was… different. Different in a way she didn't know how.

But she kept walking, because her father would retreat. She wouldn't retreat back to her father until she had knowledge that could help him. She didn't want him to come here and be frozen again, like Tam Sung had done to him.

Avi didn't want to see her father terrified again. It was okay if she was scared for a moment to keep him from being the same.

The Angel was doing something to the temple, ghosting around it for some reason. There was reason for everything and Avi just had to find it. She knew there was a reason that gold went so well with green in nature, while you hid the seams of a stitching, why darker clothes were preferable for colder environments and why thinner fabrics were best for forests and deserts. There had to be a reason why the Angel was here, and she could find it.

She continued to search through the halls she walked, foot falls slipping from taps against the tile to muffled crunching of ash to eventual nothing, dampened so well by the thick ash that coated the ground. The ground and all else, still falling from the ceiling like silent snow in a calm winter.

The reliefs of the walls were hidden from her, the high ceilings were nearly just as unviewable. It was all so hidden, so secretive, and she didn't know why. Avi ould only guess if the hall she walked in now was always this strewn with ash, or if the Angel had coated the halls upon her following its form. She didn't know. She only knew that she or her sisters had not been down this way before, and the monks and her father spoke nothing of it if they had.

It felt abandoned though, left for nature to reclaim within the temple. There was no greenery to show that the forest was taking it, no light to show that it was trying to break to the outside, nothing but pale ash on paler stone. It was difficult to think of the area as anything but untreaded now.

But Avi stopped, breath soft and low, as her eyes bore something down a new hall, down the path of ash the Angel had created. Specifically, the end of the hallway, or what path she was taking at least.

A hallway that ended at a mighty wooden door.

A door so pale it looked as if it were charred from a fire and left untouched, so fragile despite its towering size that a single flick of its wood would send it tumbling down. If it was to be balanced with something, it would have come closest to the grand door to the Grand Master's room. Where the doorway to the old man of her father was mighty, tall, and needed two men to push, this door looked akin to fall over by a stray wisp of wind.

Avi stared at it, walking closer with muted footsteps and quiet breathing, still fearful that a wrong breath of air, a sneeze so much as that, would blow the door over. And she so nearly let one out.

Right when she saw the misty form of the Ash Angel descend from the high darkened ceiling, drifting through the door, and beyond sight. It left the long-haired daughter of the samurai to stare for a moment. Stare, wonder, and steel herself like her father's lance.

Her hand touched the pale wood, ignoring the give it had as she lightly pushed it forward. It made as much noise as the footsteps she made walking down the hall. It opened to a room that was truly like that of Grand Master Tam Sung's, so similar, and so different. Like a tree that grew on the bank of a river. One side rooted well and strong in the earth while the other had roots drinking from the river without a speck of dirt for support.

This room was the river and Tam Sung's was the earth. Large holes extended from the room to the outside forest, a forest that hid its greenery and light beneath the shade of the ash that fell and coated its leaves. The tiles and stone slabs that made the room were painted with the specks, making it appear more akin to be gray than gold, green or even a modest tan. It was a mesmerizing sight, but it paled like its color in comparison to what was in it.

The Ash Angel of question, floating like its namesake in the center of the room.

An Angel that was misty in form, appearing to conjure itself from nothing as the edges of its hazy figure drifted into ash on the floor. Wisps of smoke that extended from its rear, rising like wings into the ceiling, others falling lower than she believed the floor reached, pooling like ancient robes of the figures Adi called old goddesses.

Her color, for it had to be a her now, matched that of the ash that it spread, but separated by the nothingness between. It was enough to make her look present without being so, a part of her here and somewhere else, but plenty enough to see the contours, lines, and details of her face. It was the face that decided what colors would be worn best as well as fabrics to carry, for they all brought out the finer features, a balance as it was.

And staring at the Angel, Avi could only say she was beautiful as the golden stone of the temple. The ashy color made her seem meek and approachable, the vacant eyes made her intimidating and strong, and the little else that could be seen painted a figure that had patience for time and those who were bound to it.

Avi stared at it, standing in the doorway, unsure if she should now continue to approach or run for her father. She knew where the ghost was, as she was sworn to find, but now had not he answer of how to leave, if she could leave.

But the Angle was not speaking or making a noise, giving no indication that it wanted to harm her. Maybe it didn't. It had led her here, with the Ash on the floor and her ghost like form. Maybe it wasn't something else. It was impossible for Avi to know, not so long as the angel remained quiet as the death it appeared to be.

"Who… are you?" Avi finally asked, her hand grasping the frame of the door she had opened. She could leave if she needed to, wanted to. She only realized that she _wanted_ to leave that she had asked the wrong question. Adi would have scolded her. " _What_ are… you?"

And the Angel still didn't speak.

Instead, she moved.

Soundlessly as the way she flew in here and the time Avi had followed her, the Ash Angel floated towards her. Her body seized, sure that running would be the best option. She was always told to run first when something she didn't know was coming at her, because that was always safe. But right now, that didn't seem right. Maybe it was because she followed the Angel here, maybe it was because it was smiling at her. Avi didn't know. IT just felt that if she ran, it would have been wrong.

So she did nothing, nothing as the Angel fell down until her misty form was all Avi could see. Her partial face, partial wings, partial robe, and all the ash that fell beneath. It felt like she was being coated in it, but still, she never felt the cold chill. In fact, it was warm.

It was warm, and it was in that warmth that she _saw a seed growing from fertile soil, a stem slowly climbing out of the earth and reaching for the sky. A stem that bloomed into a flower, a vibrant and beautiful gold, and hung itself towards the sky. She watched the flower as time spun by it, twisting it until it was wilted, until it was falling, and then, until it was dust on the earth once more. Then she saw it bloom again_.

Avi chocked on nothing.

She fell forward, through the Angel and into the room of Ash. She crawled forward across the ash laden floor, stopping only when her vision was staring at the partial light that fell from the high ceiling, keeping her sane and knowing that she was nearly outside. It was that sanity that she needed. Because she didn't know what just happened.

"What was that?" She asked, unsure if it was for herself or the Angel. "What… what did you?"

And the Angel didn't respond.

She only moved again, twisting in the doorway and stopping still some distance from Avi. Maybe out of respect, maybe patience, but she didn't approach. Avi only distantly noted that the ash colored door was shut, but she was still staring at the pale misty form of the Angel, trying to figure out what she had seen, what she had done.

"Was that… you?" She asked, knowing the answer. "Were you a flower once? N-No, no, that's a bad question. Adi wouldn't ask that." What would Adi ask? She wouldn't understand anything Ami wanted to ask. "Was that how… you… speak?" That felt like a right question.

And Avi watched the ash billow and fall from the Angel's form as she nodded her misty head, swaying slowly enough to track, almost lost in the folds of her robes and wings, all of the same hazy color and shape. It made the long-haired girl swallow again.

That was how she spoke, but then what was she? A flower blooming, growing… dying. Dying like ash.

"Are you death?" She asked, terrified at the prospect, at the idea of staring at death itself.

Her father had shown her sisters and her how Aku was evil incarnate, spirits of the forest, desert, and sky. It made sense that death existed. It didn't make sense that it would be here.

But the Angel swayed again, opposite as it had before. That was a no then, maybe, it matched at least. It matched like _watching a caterpillar crawl slowly across the fresh branch of a maple wood tree, stopping at the tip of a twig. It fell of the side, clinging to the edge of the bark with tiny feet and curling itself like a bat. A hard chitinous shell formed around it, stopping only when the caterpillar seemingly ate itself whole. Then the cocoon broke free, letting out a magnificent butterfly, large and free, colored like a rainbow, and flying freer than any other animal or insect in nature, leaving behind its coccon to turn to_ ash on the ground.

Avi let out another deep breath of air, collecting herself. Another vision of something weird. Something that didn't seem like a plant growing and dying. It was a caterpillar going through metromorpho… metaorfo… going through a change.

"Change…" she spoke the word, testing it. "You are… change?" And the Angel nodded again.

Avi didn't understand. How was ash related to change? Why was change here? What did it mean? Was she being tricked? She had been before, her and Aki. Was this… similar? It didn't feel the same.

"Why change?" Avi asked carefully. She couldn't think like Adi now. She had to think like Ashi, think like her _father_. "Why is change made of… ash? Why coat this beautiful temple in it why… why surround the monks with the symbol of the end?" Because that was what ash was, the end of something. It wasn't hard to figure that out.

When something became ash, there was nothing that followed. New things may take its place, but something burned did not return as something greater. It was left to help something else. Ash was nothing but _the sign that change was fast approaching, the sign that things were ending or ended, and it was time for something else to take its place. Just as was true for a forest fire strewn with ash, as far as Avi's eyes could see._

_An ash laden floor that was surrounded by trees far off and away from the charred plain of land, a land that was a pale alabaster next to the vibrant greenery and blue sky. An ashen land that had day and night pass over it in the moment of seconds, and was followed by new growth that peeked out from the ashy ground towards the sky again._

_Ash was pushed away as shrubbery and greenery grew up and out, turning the simple plain into a new home for new growth, trees that aimed to reach for the sky, providing cover for the many animals of the forest that ran underneath the new high canopy, stomping along the ash and leaves on the ground, and coated the forest with fresh new life. Life that would not have been here without the ash to show it was time ot grow._

_And Avi watched a stroke of lightning stoke a flame, turning a tree that had fallen into a raging pyre, a fire that swept through the forest and consuming the life that had grown. She watched it turn the vibrant green and deep browns into pale ash, floating towards the ground, chocking out the fire that had birthed it. Then when it was all done, only ash remained again. Until more greenery grew_.

"Ash exists to show nature it is time?" Avi questioned herself with the words. She checked herself when she saw the Angel approach her again, falling until her pale almost luminescent form hovered in front of her. "You are not change but… the sign that things must change." And that made the most sense.

The Angel grinned as she rose once more, an action that Avi nearly missed were it not for her closeness in the moment of, a moment that had passed. In the next, the Angel showed her magnificence either intentionally or not.

Her body grew until it blanketed the ceiling with her mist, spreading out about the room and letting the ash swirl at her feet. Avi didn't move as it happened, but she watched with the idea of telling Adi and Ami all about later.

She watched as the dust spun about the room like a whirlpool, as it crashed soundlessly against the walls, as it rose up to the ceiling like waves, then fell back down as if a snowbank had been destabilized. All of it happened as she stood in the center of the room, watching as the flecks of ashen snow moved around her.

When it stopped, the Angel was in front of her again, floating and hovering above her, showing the greatness of incorporeal form. It took Avi a full moment to realize what had happened, and why she had witnessed it.

The Ash Angel had sent things back to the way they were in the room, back to the way they were before they entered and before they spoke. She wanted to be asked more questions, because she couldn't explain unless one was asked. Because no monk had approached her, because the Grand Master had sought her out as an enemy or foe, not as an ally or spirit, she was never asked a question.

So she would ask the questions.

"Why are you… leaving dust in the temple?" Avi shook her head with the question. "No, no, that's not right. I know why." Because there had to be change, because ash was the signal for change. "Why do you… why do the Shaolin Monks need to change?" That was the right question.

Because the monks were peaceful, respectful, and valued their solitude. Enough that _they made a temple deep within the woods, far beyond the normal eyes of Aku or man. So deep in the woods that looking about the length of the forest from end to end, from the youngest sapling on the border of one country to the youngest across the expanse of the canopy, they were not even a speck to be seen or considered._

_They had endured in the woods for some time. Time enough that Avi watched trees grow around the temple, grow into mighty giants that towered high above the saplings beneath them, falling over as their aging was done, rotting across the ground, and burning into ash. Ash that sown the ground for new saplings to come, saplings that grew into trees all the same._

_But the temple endured._

_She watched as the elements tore through the forest around them, running amok and showing the difference in power between even the forest giants of earth against the gods that ruled the sky. Snow that fell from the highest clouds collecting on the earth, weighting from like dust to heavy anvils on the impossibly tall structure of the trees. Whipping winds turning the soft fall of rain into a dash of daggers against their bark. The hottest heats of the summer turning the river beds into husks of dirt and sand as they changed the very forest itself._

_But the temple endured._

_The temple that had seen marauders and bandits through the forest. The same bandits that Avi watched raze towns, burn villages, and skewer across expanses of land for things to grab and steal. She watched through her mind as the villages of plains, lakes, and even the forests were not safe from them. Yet, when they reached the temple, they had no luck or things to find._

_The monks used the many forms that they had learned, the same forms that Avi had learned, and defended their home from the evil men. They broke bones, they destroyed guns, they ruined weaponry, but they did not kill. And in the end, the bandits fled._

_She watched the towns that were struck by the bandits regrow like saplings in the woods. Larger towers rising from the burned buildings. Metal barricades being constructed around the edges of lakes, homes rising into the high canopy of the tallest trees. Defenses learned from failure before._

_But the temple endured._

"Because they don't change." Avi spoke the words as she watched the Angel, watching the pale creature nod at her. "They don't change and… and it makes them too different from everything else." She realized that without an image from the Ash Angel.

They were different from the rest of the forest, perhaps the world, because they did not change with it. They did not adapt to it. They fought the forest, they fought the world, all to keep themselves the same. They had not endured the change, they resisted it. They had not overcome a change, they had fought against it.

Change was necessary to keep things beautiful, operable. To never change one's clothes meant dirtying them until they were unusable husks and wisps of fabric, worthless things. To never change the land meant that it would never produce anything different, never offer the fullness of life. Change was what was _necessary_ to make life beautiful.

The monks either did not know that or fought against it.

"It's not their fault," she spoke quickly, shaking her head. The Angel twisted her head at her. The softest twists of her foggy form being the sign, the emptiness that was her eyes screwing together. "They… they resist because the world is dark. The things out there, changing to be like them… it isn't good. Things that my father said once were peaceful and docile now… now _attack_ recklessly, strike out meanly. It's dangerous." And to lose what you were was also dangerous.

Dangerous to lose what you were like _the man of green that stood on a hill of blades, riding a mount that yearned to charge to met death herself. A man that wore armor like her father, but sat with the figure of Aku, glaring an omen through his emerald eyes, provoking the cowards to run and the meek to submit._

_Her father was being chased by the man. For months. For years. For decades._

_Chased across endless plains, across expansive seas, across endless skies, across time itself._

_All the way to the Red Mountains of ominous ends._

_There… he found her. Her and her sisters, huddled in the dark and begging for help. And he extended a hand to them, one that Avi didn't need to see to know she accepted. The one action she took that she felt no remorse, no guilt, no unease for committing to. The first act of her life that she didn't regret._

_And it was the first in decades her father hadn't either._

_The omen no longer followed him. The man of green and death no longer pursued him. Jack did not see him, and that was why the girls hadn't found him. He was too busy focusing on them. Too busy_ for him.

_Braiding their hair, making their meals, preparing beds, meaning clothes, teaching reading, instructing martial arts, guiding home, leading to the next village, to the next town, to the next day. It was all for them, and it was all something he had never done before._

_Because their father,_ her father _, had changed for him._

_Her father was happy_.

"He's… happy." Avi's breath shook with the simple statement. She didn't know why. She had no idea why she had the quiver to her voice. She didn't think there was a reason.

She never thought her father was unhappy. _Never_. Upset, disappointed, but never unhappy. He smiled at them, laughed at their jokes, their quips, their lives. He tucked them in at night, told them stories to help them sleep, and sometimes slept with them when the nights were loud or winds cold. He was always with them.

Avi felt a warm mist wash over her face. She blinked, realizing only when she did how hazy her vision had become. She was crying. She was crying and the Ash angel had a mist-formed hand on the side of her face, reaching from the top of her head to the dip of her chin. It wrapped around her head, the fog of her form pushing at the long locks of her hair. Avi didn't shirk away from the touch.

It was warm and comforting. Like her father's.

"He… l-loves us-s." Her chest shook at the words. She truly had no idea why now. She always knew he had. "He's… he suffered so much bef-f-fore us and… a-and he still helped us. H-He… I-If he d-d-din't he… we…" Nothing would have changed.

He changed for them. And the change made them all happy.

The Ash Angel smiled down at Avi, her face as clear as she believed it ever would be.

The kindness in the hollow eyes was breathtaking.

**_BAM!_ **

The Angel was blown away in a puff of smoke.

Avi was left coughing with tears on her cheeks as the ghostly form of the Angel blew past her and into scattered mist. She dissipated beyond her sight, leaving behind the ash of the room and the long-haired child she had 'spoken' to. Her hand reached for her throat, wiping away the tears and ash that had been blown there.

"Avi! Avi!" She heard her name call. She couldn't see who said it, not with a hazy vision and ash in her eyes. Her hands rubbed at them, her tears washing away the pale flecks of soft snow. " _Avi!_ Please say something!"

She blinked twice, clearing her gaze, and stared at the man who had his hands on his shoulders. Terror was clear in his eyes. Avi smiled as she saw it.

"Daddy," she spoke simply, staring at the man who had raised her. "I'm… I'm okay." He was terrified, and she knew why. She had left and not told him. That was not what she did, and he didn't know what to do.

So she fell into his arms, resting her head on his chest. His arms wrapped around her much smaller form a moment later, holding her close. She relished the embrace.

The Ash Angel was warm. Her touch was caring. Her images were enlightening and message clear.

The embrace of her father, holding her tightly as he cooed her name, was the soft lullaby she could listen to for days.

She heard others in the room around her, other foots beating at the ash that treaded the room, kicking it up as they searched for the Angel she was speaking to. They wouldn't find her. They didn't know where to look, or how to look. It was all the same to them.

But if they didn't know, then she could tell them.

"Father," Avi spoke again, hesitantly pushing against his chest, leaning away from him. He let her, but kept his grip firm on her shoulders. "I spoke to her, the angel. I talked to her here." His eyes, already wide with fright, narrowed in focus.

"What did she say?" He asked without hesitation. "Did she need something? Did she try and trick you to do something?" with their history of spirits, the concern was not unfounded. But Avi shook her head.

"No, not she didn't." She doubted the Ash Angel could. Change through violence didn't appear to be something she could do. "But… I-I need to talk to the Grand Master. I need to talk to Tam."

"The Grand Master? Why?" Avi turned to see the monk she had dueled, and lost to, in the woods, speaking. A bowstaff was in his hands, his eyes hard and focused. His voice was little different. "Did she make threats to him? If so, we can prepare to exorcise the temple and be rid of her if necessary."

"No, nothing like that happened." That was _never_ the Angel's intent. "She was trying to convey a message, j-just something for him to understand and… And I understand it now."

The monk looked to her father, and she joined him. Her father looked down at her, eyes hard and grip tight. She didn't feel anything but comfort and ease in his grip.

And his nod was assurance that she would speak to Tam Sung as swiftly as he had come.

* * *

"… and that it what I saw. She is not an omen of death or something ending. She is change, she is the signal of new life." Jack listened to Avi speak, her words clear and succinct. It was obvious to him that she was choosing her words carefully. As she finished, Jack listened on. He listened to the air, where the voice of his old friend rang from.

For a time, there was nothing. Nothing but the hum of the Grand Master in deep thought, even as his body remained impassive upon the floor, rooted by the vines and growth of nature. The monks beside him did much the same, heads bowed in concentration. They would not speak, not before the Grand Master, but it was against the Shaolin ways to not contemplate what was before you. Instincts were apart of nature and deserved to be apart of thoughts.

" _This Ash Angel is a spirit of change._ " There was no question, only the affirmation of a fact. " _A being that is not apart of nature, but an observer that watches over it. A silent watcher that follows the cycles without being a part of them. Is this correct to you, young Avi?_ " Jack looked down at the long hair of the girl, standing in front of her siblings.

"Y-Yes, it is." Her voice shook for a moment, but she held herself firm. He spoke nothing, as it would be an insult to her growing strength.

" _Change… the thing I have long witnessed and believed to be apart of. Never did I think that I was insulting a greater spirit with my longevity_." Tam Sung hummed as she spoke, the air shaking as he did. Jack listened to the regret in his voice, the sorrow. It was not miserable, not decrepit. It was the same sadness he felt when he had failed to see the better choice of two options, and witness the future of his actions.

It was living with the knowledge that the future he was in was not the best that could have been. And because of that, the Grand Master Tam Sung had sorrow in his soundless voice.

" _I knew we had endured for some time. I knew that we fought against the nature of man, nature, and the worlds beyond to keep our temple alive. But never did I think that I was insulting the very spirits of nature by doing so_." The sigh that left his mind rolled across the room, bringing forth a sorrow breath of air from Jack's own lungs.

His hand gripped Avi's shoulder a bit tighter, having never left since he took her from the ashen room. Her hand rose to rest atop his, gripping his fingers tightly. He spoke no complaint, and let her hold him as she needed.

" _I wish to say that I need to think upon your words, young Avi. To meditate on what you have said, for the news you have brought and testimony you have delivered are the very words that can shake the foundation of a kingdom._ " The girl shook beneath Jack's grip. He did not let go of her, and neither did she for him.

"Avi's correct though." All eyes turned to Ami as she spoke. Her goggles were still tight around her eyes. "After reviewing the ash deposits on file and going through the room that Avi was in, I've determined that next to a correlation with the foundation of the temple itself, the ash tends to congregate to areas that have a more progressed half-life than other areas."

"The older things are being dusted more than the new," Ashi spoke in turn, explaining the girl's words. "The oldest sections of the temple, and the oldest statues outside, are the ones that Angel is marking."

" _I understand,"_ Tam spoke back. " _The need to remind me that they have endured longer than the giants of the woods, and perhaps even civilizations older. Endured when the rest of the world changed. Clung to the last bit of light in the past, rather than fall into the darkness of this future_." Jack swallowed on nothing. He could feel the terror in the words, threading through and becoming one with the Grand Master's voice.

"That's not it!" Avi yelled out.

Jack blinked down at her, the girl having leaned forward with the words. The monks did not react, aside from blinks at her.

"That's… she's not asking for that," Avi spoke on. "She doesn't want to see the light die. She doesn't _want_ misery. She wants _new_ life. She wants _new birth_. Darkness breeds only death and misery. Scattered ashes allow nothing to grow, only pact dirt can allow a sapling to become a mighty tree." Her words almost felt as if they weren't her own.

Jack looked to the other girls, nearly all of them reacting the same as he. Aki was blinking with a hand scratching her messed hair, Adi writing the words like scripture, and even Ami recording it on her tablet.

"The Ash Angel wants change, because there is only so far some things can grow. She wants change so that the new life can have the _chance_ to grow. Without change, and without chance, then there is nothing left but a growing shadow." A shadow that loomed with a figure that would not fall, casting a dark gaze on all that bore it.

He could think of only one other thing that had not changed in this dark future, and Avi's words struck deeply within him.

" _It is… as you say, young one,_ " Tam returned with some thought. " _The ever growing woods are culled by time and fall to rot. Rot that can degrade, that can return, or that can burn. All of which leads back to new growth. New growth that can see the sky, reach for it, and return when it has gone too far._ " His voice was melancholy, Jack realized. Reliving the sweetness of a memory that didn't follow his words. _"Young Avi, I have a question for you. Would you be willing to answer it for me?"_

The girl turned her head to Jack, looking up at him with curious eyes. Her matched the gaze, curious himself, before smiling in time. Perhaps it was the act of speaking, perhaps it was the answer she had, but something of what she wanted to do made her nervous.

He patted her head, rubbing it to spread her dark hair around her scalp. Her head bent to push it away, looking back up at him with a happy pout. It was all she ever needed to know he was there for her.

"Yes, I would Grand Master Tam Sung." Jack's hand left her shoulder as she bowed at the request.

" _Then, Avi, would you believe me if I told you that I had thought the Angel not of death, not of change, but of misery?_ "

Jack's hands balled to fists as Avi stood up and straight. He heard the girls behind him muttering, Aki offering a rude curse, and Adi grabbing another journal. They didn't speak to argue, but they were obviously just as affected. Even the monks, aside their Grand Master, looked at him with aghast.

"Grand Master?" One of them questioned, biting his lips as he finished. A monk was not to speak while the Grand Master conversed, and it was something he remembered only after he spoke. But neither Jack, the other monk, or Tam Sung himself made motion or spoke words to reprimand him.

The words of the eldest of them present was far more demanding for attention.

"S-Sir?" Avi stuttered. Jack blamed nothing on her. "I… I don't understand." Neither did he.

" _I would not expect you to. To understand would require years of knowledge, study, and meditation._ " There was nothing mocking in the words. They were statements of facts. " _Those are the only activities I partake in any more. The only things my time will now allow me to do._ "

The room shifted as Tam spoke. Jack took uneasy breaths as his friend continued.

" _I have instructed generations of the Shaolin, following the ways of my father and furthering our knowledge through nature. I have stared into the heart of chi and found what separates the mortal coil of the human flesh from the bark and timber of nature's shell. I have seen how the density of air shifts from the open sky to enclosed lungs. And I have seen how to use them all, by becoming one with them."_

Adi's pen scratched and scrawled in her journal as she spoke. A dark part of Jack knew that book would have to be burned later. He could not speak now, not while Tam continued to do so.

" _I believed when I undertook this passage of my chi, the evolution of my spirit, that I would be able to protect the ways of the defenders, those that fought against the yearning dark by embracing the constant light. As my father before me and his before him. I did just that, for centuries upon centuries I have done that._ "

It was the march of time that Tam never saw the end of. Time that Jack knew he was also marching towards and into, without the voice or reason to argue against it.

" _I regret few of my actions and even fewer in my words. Everything I have done has led to the Shaolin lasting beyond anything else before the time of Aku's reign._ " And Jack knew the truth of the statement, beyond the immortals themselves. " _However, it is time that has clung to me and burdened my tethered soul with a heavy weight. A weight… that I find myself thinking of more as the days go on._ "

Like a rider in green and armored for war, watching a man who has given up on life. Jack stiffened his back, unwilling to turn away. Even as a pair of hands grabbed his own, a grip that he matched with a hand around, he continued to watch the perpetually smiling man, and his aura that surrounded him.

" _I am one with nature, and though that unity has brought me inner peace, it has also reminded me of the cycle I can now never escape._ " The teachings of Buddha. The eternal cycle that death releases. " _The paths I have chosen are my own and I regret none of them. Yet, that freeness from regret does not welcome a bountiful amount of joy and relief. Instead, it welcomes misery._ "

Jack shut his eyes. He suspected, he guessed, but he loathed the answer. He could feel the aura of Tam dip as he released the omission, like a confession of guilt.

"Misery?" Avi asked. "Misery. Because… because you can no longer change." Jack opened his eyes and gazed at the back of the girl's head.

" _Yes, Avi, because I cannot change_." Jack looked back to Tam, as well as the rest of the room. " _I believed the Angel that you spoke with to be one of misery, showering me in ash to remind me what I cannot do. Coating me in dust to tell me I will never be thus. Enjoying my misery in silence, as silence my body is doomed to stay within._ "

"I have no mouth and I must scream," Aki spoke from behind Jack. _WHAP_! He spoke no words of punishment as he heard Aphi or Ashi deliver a strong blow to the girl's side.

"You know that it's true." Avi was shaking her head with the words. "She… she was _too_ kind for that." The air rumbled with a dry and soundless chuckle from Tam.

" _Now child. Now I realize that. For the months before you came and the years before that, I believed that the spirits were drawn to my misery, the only darkness within these otherwise hallowed halls. And because of that, I wished to endure for the land, wallowing in my misery silently. Silent as the ash that the Angel spread_." Jack knew now how foolish the notion was. He knew after four decades of attempting the same that it was an act of cowardice, not strength.

But the Grand Master knew now. His words were no longer important.

" _Your words and actions, Avi of the Samurai's kin, have given me a relief that I thought impossible._ " Chuckling came from behind Jack. He wasn't sure if it was his own or not. He tended not to laugh when he felt proud, only grin. The twists of his beard were evidence enough he was doing just that. " _It is a relief to know that we are not being tormented but asked. Not warned but requested. So rare is it for the spirits of nature to offer such warnings, and how fortunate we are to have you to tell us._ "

Avi shifted in place uneasily. Jack watched her, not sure what she was doing. He recognized the lack of confidence, the unease. But he didn't know why.

"Grand Master," her word rose and fell. "I… I trust you know what it is the Angel is asking. I-I hope you do because… it is what needs to change." Jack hadn't thought of that. He knew how foolish it was for him not to.

" _I have, Avi, I have for some time now._ " The voice of tam held none of the despair he spoke of before. " _And I must say, there is little I have to regret or argue against._ "

But, as he let his mind wander of the elements that needed change, of Tam's words, he realized with a cold dread what it was the Angel was asking. What it was that both his ward and old friend spoke of.

No.

"No," Jack spoke almost involuntarily. He didn't know the word had left him until the little ones looked at him in time with the monks. "No, Tam. Not this." He wasn't sure what to say.

"Father, I… I-I know. I do." Jack wasn't sure if she did. "I'm… the Angel was honest and… I think the Grand Master understands."

"Understand what?" Aki asked. Jack wished to hear the answer as well, though he already feared what he expected. "I'm missing something, I know it."

"Grand Master Tam Sung has, by the apparent warnings of the Ash Angle, has lived among the spirits of nature for too long." Adi spoke, pages rustling as she did so. Jack's eyes shut, clenching, _hating_ the meaning to every letter uttered. "Thus, the spreading of the ashes is the signal of the higher spirit of nature that the Grand Master must move on from his post… and retire."

"Retire?" Not Aki, Ahi. She knew, she knew what it meant. She had used the same word often when they were hunting, often with Aki, making jokes about the word when they found possible game. There was no humor to her voice now. Jack could find none in the room. "Wait. You're not… n-no way. I know we just met us, not dad, us, but… but really?" His jaw was shaking.

" _Yes, young Ahi_ ," Tam confirmed without even the ghost regret upon his looming voice. " _My journey is done. It is time for me to die._ "

"GRAND MASTER" "NO!" The monks shouted from their post, turning to the sitting man wrapped in vines, aura soft and welcoming. His words were the opposite in every way.

Jack found nothing in this moment to be inviting or warm. He was cold and jaded.

" _Yes, my students. It is time for me to move on. Time to truly return to nature, and welcome the change it will bring._ " Change. The idea of it. Change from the perfect past to this present. Jack struggled to name any time change had helped him. " _But do not fear. Do not regret. I am not departing at this moment, not so quickly as to leave you all blind and grabbing in the dark_."

There was no comfort to be found in those words. The assurance that death was delayed, not stopped, hardly brought comfort to those who were destined to bear its weight.

" _Both of you have served the Shaolin loyally for many years now. Years that like fathers before you and sons that will follow you. Just as I have done for my father, though I lack a child of my own to follow my steps._ " It was a goodbye. He was saying his goodbyes.

"This is not the end." Jack spoke, stepping forward past Avi. She felt him grab his arm, hold it tightly. He did not shirk her need to have comfort. He needed much the same. "Tam Sung, you were there when I began my journey. I… Do not force me to bear the end of it without you."

" _That is a promise I cannot follow, Samurai Jack._ " His head fell at his the man's words. At the peace in his old friend's voice. " _Know that I am aware this will not be a time of celebration, of jubilation or peace. It will hard, it will be sad, but, as the Ash Angel has shown Avi, it is necessary. The necessary part of life that I have long fought of, and foolishly so._ " That wasn't what he wanted to hear.

Jack didn't know what he wanted to hear.

His fists clenched, rag efilling him. Anger at himself, at the idea of Tam having to die, at the Angel that told him he had to, at all of it. Jack understood, he comprehended, and yet he didn't understand. It didn't make sense, because it wasn't fair. None of it was fair.

" _Be at peace, Jack_ ," Tam continued to speak through the halls of his room. " _Be at peace as I am. It is in peace you find the answers that you need, not in your most desperate hour_." And he was right again, the Grand Master, soon to be former, of the Shaolin.

The last of his eldest friends.

"Grand Master… who will lead us?" The monk to Jack's right questioned. "Are we to disband the temple? To return to our forgotten homes?"

" _No, that is not the way of nature_." Tam instructed. " _Change, alter, but never truly revert. It is as the Angel warned, not foretold. We must change, not disappear._ " Jack wouldn't allow them to, even if it was to fight against nature itself.

He had fought gods before. Fighting for the life of his friend would be worth it. He swallowed harshly at the reminder that his friend, the last of his friends from beyond even the forty-four years, was soon to be no more.

He felt another one of the girls grab the back of his shirt, scrunching the material. He said nothing but some silent thanks for the comfort he knew Aphi must be attempting to provide.

" _Someone new will lead you now. A new member of our ranks, a member with knowledge of the past, but wisdom of the present, to recognize the change needed for the future._ " Even with what were likely to be final commands, he spoke as wisely as he did when speaking of the portal of time. Jack's chest shook, and he would not acknowledge why.

The aura of the Grand Master shifted like a clog in a river. It left, focused, and moved about the room, humming as it did so. Jack watched it as he felt it, wary of his friends words.

" _I humbly request that be you, Avi_."

No, the answer was no.

"What?" Jack had no words to answer Avi's question. It was the same as his own.

"Wait, what?!" Aki yelled now, and none of her siblings moved to quell her. "You gotta be kidding me with that question. She helped you out and now you want her to replace you?"

No, the answer was no.

"That is a bold request to make," Ashi joined in. "Asking one of us to assist you because of your negligence." Her words were sharp, but Jack did not correct her. They were cruel, but he did not stem her. Not when he had the same thoughts.

"That's not happening." "No way." "Statistical impossibility." Adi, Ahi, and Ami added.

Jack said nothing still. He said nothing as he focused on the cross-legged posture of his old friend, form no different than it was forty-four years ago, but now bearing words he never thought he'd hear from the old friend of a time past. A request for aid was not impossible, a request to change was something he did not foresee. A selfish request for a replacement was unheard of.

No, the answer was no.

And because of that, Jack did not know what to do. He was left staring at Tam Sung as his Avi's sisters spoke for her. Differences between violent rejections and quiet snipes against the man. Insults, no doubt, but insults made against the idea of Avi taking the place of the man wrapped in nature and communing with beings beyond perception. Their anger was warranted.

" _Peace, please_ ," Tam spoke again, as the little ones raged on. " _I ask again, peace. I am offering a request, as it is only as I can do_."

"It is too far a request," Ashi spoke again, defending her 'little' sister. "Though there is little doubt Avi has assisted you with the matter of the Ash Angel, to ask of her to replace you as the head of the Shaolin, without knowing what that entails, is rather rude and inconsiderate of a _wise man_."

"Not to mention stupid," Aki added on. None of her siblings attacked her.

" _It is why I am offering this to Avi as a question. Not a passing of a baton or changing of the throne. I offer as I have offered others who have walked into these hallowed walls and burdened themselves with the balance of nature and self._ " Jack knew well what it was. It was the same thing that Tam's father had offered him.

"You wish to mentor Avi." He spoke now. Later, Adi would tell him his voice was short and sharp. Notable enough to earn a quiver of her scratching pen.

No, the answer was no.

" _I am, young Samurai,_ " The Grand Master returned. " _I offer because Avi has shown she knows how to earn the trust of spirits, how to find them when I cannot, and commune with them when I doubt. That alone if farther than any other in the order has come. As some may say, her finding of the Angel and holding of a conversation is an act of fate. And now, I act upon what I believe is due._ "

"Nothing more is due on her part." Jack felt the bite in his own throat as she spoke. "Avi has done far more than I ever would have requested of her, and has aided you beyond what I have done in the past. I am saddened that you are looking to move on from this world Tam, but even still I cannot think of why you would want Avi to be your replacement."

His hands were tight on her shoulder again, possessive as some may say. She was his ward, and a ward he had raised and taught for four years in a future darker than most nights in the past. She was still shy, timid, and in need of growth. It wasn't time to let go.

" _I do not make this offer in haste. Nor do I offer it lightly._ " Tam spoke still. " _Young Avi has earned my admiration and shown her wisdom in the short span she has been here. And correct me if I am wrong, but do you doubt her abilities?_ " Jack felt his mouth twist beneath the length of his beard.

What had overcome Tam to make him ask such questions? Where was the wiseman who spoke evenly and with inviting nature?

"She is still too young," Jack continued. "She is still needed among her sisters. _I_ still need to help her." None of the little ones were ready to be on their own yet, let alone the meekest of the seven. "We have seen much of the world, but not yet nearly all. Too long has she spent isolated, alone, forgotten and… and I am _not_ willing to let her go.

None of the girls spoke now. Avi had a grip tight on the hands that held her shoulders. Jack did not release her.

She had referred to herself as willing to wait for Aphi or Ashi to assist her in a fight, laughing at quips Aki would make at her expense, helping collect ingredients with Ahi when it came to preparing meals and food to have, suggesting parts to use in machinery for Ami, and pointing out details Adi may have missed her journal.

To guide the Shaolin for her further days with only years beneath him? No, the answer was no.

" _Forgive me, Samurai Jack. It appears I once more did not consider you when I offered my words._ " Tam's words echoed through the room, almost an admission of his losing ground. It made sense, as Jack would not relent. " _Perhaps instead of speaking around her, it would be best if Avi herself answered._ "

A slow controlling sigh left Jack's lips. That was okay. That was preferable. Avi would not leave her family so quickly. He knew her well, as did her sisters. Her answer was obvious without words.

The longest haired of the seven siblings took a shaking breath before she spoke, one that echoed through the room. Even the monks aside Tam watched her imploringly.

"Would I truly replace you? So… so quickly?" Jack looked down at the back of the girl's head.

That was not the response or even question he imagined she would speak.

" _Not so quickly, no._ " Tam responded. " _You are wise and clearly watch for what is beyond simple sight. But there is still much to learn about control of one's self before you rise in the ranks of the Shaolin ways. I offer mentorship for you to understand as I have had, to allow you a truss on which to grow upon._ "

That was what her family was for. That was what _he_ was for. Jack did not voice it, because he knew Avi was well aware of it. That was why Jack had no fear when she slowly moved his hand off of her shoulder, when she turned midstance to look at him, and when she looked up at his eyes with her own small gaze. The steelness in it is what gave him pause.

That, and the frown she wore.

"Father," she spoke, hands folded above her chest. "I spoke… I spoke the Angel for a reason." She had already given the reason to the monks, and her duty was done. "There must have been a reason why we came here, why no one else could see her, why… why it was so easy to listen to her. And I do not believe it is because I just… care for balance."

"It is because you are wise and detailed, Avi," Jack returned to her. It was the common part of her, the part of her that everyone knew. "Only you could tell the difference between gray and alabaster as it clung to walls."

"Yeah, not to mention you're the only one who was actually scared of the thing, at first at least." Aki's words bordered insulting, but the compliment as clear.

"No, but… but there is a reason that she let me follow." She continued on. "She could have hidden herself like the seems of clothes or tried to hide herself like the unpleasant split end of fabric. Instead she guided me… led me to that room. She… the _Angel_ was trying to tell me something and… I-I think this is it."

Jack felt his jaw open without noise, his gut falling with the motion. He stared at Avi, unsure of what words would be worth speaking.

He wasn't sure if words existed at all.

"I believe I have to stay."

* * *

Avi said nothing as she watched her sister's pack. There was nothing that she believed could be said.

She was standing aside the entrance to the ancient temple of the Shaolin, the ash of the Angel having already begun to wash away with wind and spite. It dampened what little noise was made until it was mute, no different than the hall, no different than the room. The noise was no different, but the situation was too different. It was a perfect imbalance.

She felt none of the peace she did when the Angel 'spoke' to her, none of the ease or assurances of images. What she saw now bade Avi only pain and disappointment, an ache she knew easily how to fix, but couldn't be sure it wouldn't lead to another. To fix the mistake she felt now meant foregoing what she believed was right, what she knew by simple observation was necessary. As necessary as extending the hem of a skirt or resetting the sole of a boot.

Her family was leaving, and she was joining them.

Ashi, Aki, Adi, Aphi, Ami, Ahi and her father were leaving, and she was staying behind.

She watched them prepare from the doorway of the temple, the stone already cleansing itself of the as the bore against it, washing away with the rising light of the new day. Bright and brilliant rays that shone across the forest, haloing the golden walls of the temple, and luminating the many monks that watched with her. The men of orange garbs that watched her father and sisters preparing to leave.

And Avi was with them. Not her family. _Them._

Fists tightened along the length of her dress, loathing the circumstances already. A necessary change, a needed change, but something she still found no joy in. Her long hair blanketed her vision as her head dipped, hiding her sisters and father from her view. It left her staring only at her black locks, hiding from the world her shaking jaw and clenched eyes.

She could still too vividly recall the pain on her father's face. The shock, the horror, the disbelief. It made her flinch, it made her eyes tear. It… it wasn't a good memory to think on, not even a dozen hours passed since she bore witness to it. The silence that followed was all the more harrowing for it. Shouting would be easier, Avi knew it would. Because that was what she endured from her sisters.

In the presence of the Grand Master, flanked by the monks that had dueled them, her six sisters descended onto her with a rage she thought deserved only for those who wished for harm. Cruel insults from Aki, dismissing her compassion from Ashi, noting her inability to feel from Adi, called objective weakness from Ami, regret for having fed her from Ahi, and not even a flicker of concern from Aphi. Nothing but dismissal and insults from her siblings.

But she had endured, as she knew she had to.

Avi had endured the barbs and insults from her sisters as they were thrown at her with a force she had never seen before. She stood as tall as she could, shaking like a crooked tree, as their jeers went far beyond the usual mockery of fights and disagreements. The sincerity and honesty in their words, the anger and wrath they promised to her. It was enough to make her cry.

And her father did nothing, nothing but stand back and watch her with an empty gaze. It was the same gaze she had seen him stare up with in the Angel's memories. The look of pain, betrayal, disbelief that made her heart whimper and mind freeze. It was not what she wanted. Far from it. She wanted everyone to be happy, to be content. This kind of pain wasn't what she wanted.

Not the pain of her sisters ignoring her as they prepared to go, not the emptiness of their gazes not so much as glancing towards her, not this. They were her sisters, her _blood_ , her _family!_ She loved them! She loved all of them! And… and she didn't want them to leave like this.

But she didn't know what to do.

The Angel had shown her how the change was necessary, it has chosen her to help bring the change that was necessary, and it had even warned of the pain that was coming through the necessary change. But she still didn't like it, even as she made herself strong to endure it. It was all an act, all a lie, all just to make herself feel half as strong as her siblings, and a fraction of that as her father.

Nothing would have satisfied Avi more now than to run to her father and beg his forgiveness, hugging him tightly and promising never to say anything foolish again. She wanted to offer to cook meals with Ahi, help collect data with Adi, build things with Ami, train with Ashi and Aphi, or even let Aki scream to the sky. There was nothing Avi could think of now that would be more helpful, more liberating, than that.

But she could not think of how it could help. It would be fighting the change that the Ash Angel showed her was necessary. To fight that would lead to the same situation that Tam Sung had found himself in, one that brought words to her mind that she wished never to hear from anyone, let alone friends of her family.

Misery. Being trapped in misery and not speaking of it to others.

It was, ironically perhaps, little different than what she felt now.

Her breath was shallow beneath the curtain of her hair, unwilling to look up and risk her sisters seeing her with tears. She was unwilling to witness any more of their hateful glares, any more of the fire that burned against her. It hurt, and she hated that it hurt, she hated that she knew _why_ it hurt. But more than anything else, she hated that she knew she had to do this.

It was necessary for everything to eventually change, or else nothing would be beautiful. Becoming something else, but not disappearing. Never that. Like the bow that she wore, always changing how she wore it or where it was, but also still there. Changing, but not gone. She raised her hand to her hair, content to at least brush it, remind herself that it was there.

But it wasn't.

Her eyes flew open beneath the curtain of her hair, staring down at the ground to see the ribbon she adored resting there. It had fallen without a sound and pushed away what little ash was there with the same breath. A long shaking breath was taken in through her throat at the sight.

The ribbon her father and family had given her, that she loved to wear, resting in the ash of the Ash Angel.

Of the Angel of Change.

Her knees bent slowly, arm extended and reaching for the long pink strand of fabric. It would be a non-issue to clean, to prepare, to retie. She had done it thousands of times before. But… it was different. It was different and she knew it. And Avi hated that even that was different.

She didn't want everything to change. Not all at once.

Her fingers flicked across the material, but stopped before she could grasp it. It was no longer necessary to. She saw a heavy hand grab it instead, picking up the fabric with hardly anything more than a small whoosh of air. She looked up, already knowing who she would see.

Avi was unsurprised when she stared into the stern face of her father.

He held her ribbon in his hand, a loose grip that almost let the fabric slip from his fingers. Her father was always tall, taller than her and only shorter than the most bestial of individuals, but Avi believed she was looking at a giant now more than just her father. The shadow of his hair, his beard, the furrow of his brow, it was all there. Too many times before did Avi ask if she could cut it with her sisters, even Ahi and Ashi agreeing with her. It made him look too dark, too mean, too cruel, when he was always so kind, gentle, and loving. He was her father, and he never did anything to make her believe otherwise.

It was why the unease she saw in his eyes made her heart pain all the more. She swallowed the butterflies flittering up her throat as she looked at him.

He knelt down in front of her, his clothing stretching with the movement, before he reached out to her. Avi didn't shy away. Not from him. She didn't move as his hands brushed around her hair, pulling back the long strands until they ducked behind her ears and out of sight. They fell like curtains along her shoulders, down the arc of her back.

Her father took the ribbon then, lifting it behind her head and out of sight. She felt him wrap it around her long strands, tying together a bundle and knot with the fabric and hair. His hands were rough and calloused from age and wear. He always treated her hair like a soft quilt when he helped to tie her bow. He was always so gentle with her. Now was no different.

With tears still in her eyes, breathing shaking like the fragile leaves of fall, Avi let her father tie her hair behind her head, using the oldest thing she had, the most precious thing she had. Her hair was fed through the ribbon, tied around it, and settled along the length of her neck with a single large bund. She recognized the shape of the hair by the feeling alone. Adi had helped her tie it once before.

A ponytail. A ponytail held in place by the pink ribbon. It left her face unhidden in front of her father. Her father and his focused gaze.

"You are the only one of your sisters with hair long enough for this," he spoke as if it were any other morning. "You're also the only one to care for her hair enough to make it easy to tie. No matter how much you tell your siblings to care for theirs, you are the only one to put such care into it." His hand moved from the back of her head to the top, stroking the long black strands, pulled back in a taunt fashion. Avi wasn't worried. Her father knew how to tie her hair.

He had spent years learning how, once it had grown longer than her sisters and she hated the idea of cutting it. She could change it so much, and her father was keen to help her with it. Even now, while she was so close to leaving him and her sisters, hurting him in a way she loathed to do, he still tied her hair gently, loving her as he did so.

"I remember when you first tried to tie your hair. You were afraid that it did not look right, and you were afraid to ask me or your sisters for help." Avi clenched her jaw for fear she would sob if it opened. "I assured you it was fine. Ami made you a mirror to help you, and Adi volunteered to carry it so you would not have to worry." And it had never so much as cracked so long as she had it.

And Ahi made sure to remind her to tie her hair up when she cooked, and Ashi and Aphi asked her how to tie it tight against her head when she sparred. And Aki would make jokes about how her hair couldn't be tied down. And Avi loved that she was the only one her father would spend time with to manage her hair. The only one of their family who needed it.

"Avi," her father spoke to her, his voice full of somber and pain. She took in a deep breath of air at the sound, keeping herself from collapsing into him. "Have I… Have I done something to neglect you?"

What?

"What?" Avi spoke the question through her mind, body and soul. "No! Father no!" Her hands reached out, jaw shaking with the words and eyes a mist as she gazed at him. His own did not change. "That is not true! Not _at all!_ " She yelled to him.

She threw her arms out in denial, hateful more of the idea of scorning her father than their scorn brought upon her. She was the one harming them through her actions, she deserved their scorn. There was no way they could even imagine they had earned _hers!_

" _I'm_ choosing to do this because I believe and _feel_ it is just!" She put her hands to her chest, never taking her gaze off her father. "The Ash Angel showed me more than merely the monks and their endurance through the ages, their rigidity against change. She showed me the beauty of what came of change, of the magnificence that nature and man reaches through the changes brought by time, harm, or necessity!"

A caterpillar blooming to a butterfly, a coastal town building walls for prosperity, children of a red mountain walking across an endless plain.

"I _do not want_ to leave you, you or Ashi or Aphi or Adi or Aki or Ami or Ahi! I've loved goring through mountains and forests, and across plains and deserts and seeing things that I never thought possible while we lived in the Red Mountain." Her father flinched, but she continued on. "It let me see just how beautiful the world was because of hos different it could be. And all that difference wasn't made that way. It all changed to be so different, to be so strong, lasting, and beautiful."

Her father kept watching her, and Avi continued on.

"I loved seeing how different races changed their clothes to match the region, watching them blend form and function, then watching how they changed with the tasks they did and never once looking anything less than appropriate. I loved having the chance to be able to try all those different things, to be able to knit my own clothes, to hem dresses, to make new articles of clothing for us all to wear, and I loved doing it because I love our family."

For the first time since her father approached, she looked beyond him, to her sisters awaiting with their belongings. They were all staring at them, all with wide eyes and mouths. Not one of them moving. They were listening, and Avi wasn't dong.

"And… And it's because of that love that I know I have to leave because… because I-I need to change now." Her father said nothing, not even a twitch of his beard. "The Ash Angel picked me, a-and she did that because she thinks I can be helpful here. She… She's watched so many other people endure and change and fix themselves with time. I believe, I _know_ that she's making us stronger. She has to, because it's why nature is thought of to be everything _but_ weak. Beautiful, eternal, vibrant, ever-lasting, even fragile, limited, and sometimes sparse, but _never_ weak."

She swallowed a thick ball in her throat, determined to finish. Now wasn't the time to hesitate and lose herself. Her father was listening with her sisters.

"But the one thing that _never_ changes is the love that's there. And… And I will _never_ stop loving what we have." Have, not had. She wasn't losing anything. They were still her family. "I love everything we've done together and all the places we've gone. I love all the things you've taught me and how much you want me to grow. I love my sisters, all of you, and… and I hate the idea of having to leave you for any reason!"

Her tears were falling now, but she didn't stop them. They pattered to the soil beneath her

"But I know… I-I _know_ that if I don't I'll... I'll regret this." Her entire neck shook as she swallowed heavily on the ball in her throat, the tears trying to turn themselves into a torrent. "You are right father that I have much to learn still, _so_ much more. But I know that I will learn what I need here. I've… I've learned so much with you and my sisters, but i-if I'm going to grow anymore… I-I need to change. And that… that is here."

Her arm motioned towards the monks and temple, the garbed men watching pensively, yet passively, at the display. She wasn't sure if that was for the better or worse.

"It's nothing you have done, father, _nothing_ you've done makes me _want_ to do this, because I don't. I don't _want_ to, but I _need_ to." The difference was massive, like the choice between a rain jacket or bikini in the midst of a monsoon. "Grand Master Tam Sung invited me, the Ash Angel guided me and… and _you_ inspired me."

"Me?" he questioned. He didn't understand.

"You, father," Avi confirmed, the new ponytail she sported bobbing with her head. Silence emanated around the forest as they spoke. "Because the Ash Angel showed me what happened to you, what you were _before_ you found us." She saw the terror wash over his eyes. That was not acceptable. " _But then how you changed!_ How you saved us and… and how helping us helped you. I watched you change and I'm glad I did."

Her sisters were talking, or perhaps the monks. Someone was, but Avi didn't care who. Her father was what mattered now. Like the spirit of nature, there was always a keystone, a driving part, that decided the course of the land around it. Be it the color of one's eyes or the species in the food chain, there was always something.

"I know you are angry with me and… a-and I deserve it. I deserve to be hated and despised and cursed by you and Adi and Ashi a-a-aand everyone." She didn't want to, but she deserved it.

"Avi!" Her father called, kneeling to her. She could hardly see him, water misting her eyes and hiding him from her. But she spoke on.

"But I d-don't want you to think I'm _mad_ , because I'm _not!_ " Her lips were shaking with her jaw. "I-I-I-I don't father, I… I-I-I-I-I-"

Her words were broken as her father swept down and embraced her.

It was an action he had done hundreds of times before, out of comfort, joy, and hello. An action that was once so foreign to her that it was unnerving, but now was the tropical bed of flowers that made her see the beauty of life she'd never thought she'd witness.

Her father's head, falling into the nape of her neck, damp with some liquid she loathed to name, was new. It left her staring forward in shock, at her sisters who looked at her with eyes rimmed with red lines and uneven stares.

"No, Avi. _No_." Her father muttered into her skin, his hold tightening around her. "I do _not_ hate you. I am _not_ angry at _you_. Never such a _horrible_ thing." His head brushed against her neck, his beard tickling her skin as it dampened. "I'm not angry, I'm _scared_."

The word didn't make any sense with how her father used it. He wasn't one to be scared, by anything, ever.

"I've… I've watched over you and your sisters for so long. Watched you grow, and taught you, and helped you, and now… you are leaving. And I'm scared that come tomorrow when we awake I won't see you help clean camp or comment on our dress." Her hands clutched at the back of his garb as he spoke. Every word was being memorized by her like a mantra, a prayer. "I do _not_ hate you Avi. Never such a horrible thing. _Never_." His beard scratched her as it shook left and right against her.

Avi buried her face into the crux of her father's neck, hating the actions that brought her to this moment, but loving the embrace as much as she had every time before it. Perhaps even the summation of every time till now.

"I love you Avi. I love you so much." And Avi felt what little resistance she had left break.

"I love you too, father." She buried herself against him.

Her sisters were quick to join.

They jumped around her, her siblings crushing her against her father as they tried to wrap around her back and their dad's, pushing them so close together that their hair bled together in a tangled mess. A mess made up of tears, whimpers, and apologies that she couldn't follow, not through the release of the angry twisting maw in her gut.

They loved her, and she loved them. They were angry at what was happening, not her. Never her. And she was wrong to think that they were. They loved her, and they would miss her. Avi knew it was true.

She knew it from the way she felt Aki sobbing into her back, Ami pulling off her goggles to get closer to her, Aphi rubbing a hand on her head, Ashi cooing soft condolences, Adi promising to send her letters every day, and Ahi saying she'd make a special salad dressing that would have them think of her every time they ate. Everything, at this moment was about her.

Because when they left, they'd be leaving her behind. They hated that, not her. It was the key difference she had not seen before.

It was what she couldn't realize until she was being swallowed in the misery of her sisters, being carried away by their love in the same moment. Her sisters, her father, their family.

She loved them all so much.

And it was why the goodbye was impossibly hard.

A goodbye that came when her father and sister's released her, when their tear-stained faces held uneasy smiles. A farewell that was uttered as they picked up their luggage, every sibling muttering a promise on wet breaths of when they'd see each other again. All of it leading to an exit through the ash washed woods.

Gone, until Avi remained with the monks and the temple.

She stared down the path, feeling the weight of her heart matched by the bun of her hair, a last gift of her father, and memento of her sisters. Her eyes shut as she focused on it, memorizing the feeling that was there.

It would change, change like she already had. Change, but not go away. Nothing truly leaves, only changing like the flow of time.

Her concentration was broken when a monk came up behind her, a heavy hand clapping on her shoulder. She looked up at him, loathing how she must have looked pitiful in sight. His eyes and gentle smile, however, showed only compassion and understanding. This was not common for them, she realized, but far from unnatural.

"You are a strong woman, Avi of the Samurai." The monk spoke to her kindly, smiling at her with the sincerity that she believed mimicked her father. "The Grand Master has chosen his replacement wisely, and I will be honored to help you grow." He bowed lowly to her, and Avi smiled in return. She copied his action, her face still wet from her family's departure.

"I owe it all to my father." Her reply came as she gazed at the ground.

She rose and turned back to the treaded forest ground, the path her family had taken out of the temple and out of sight. It was impossible to say where they would go next, to high mountains or deep caverns, but they would be together. They would be together because they were bound by the one force of nature that superseded all change. The force that brought the catalyst of change or the wall that prevented it.

It was that love that would keep her family together, even as she walked her new path.

"I owe my family everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bmm! Bmm! Bmm! … Another bites the dust!
> 
> But seriously, this was a fun/horrifying chapter to write. Its difficult to stick to the old aesthetic of Jack, long shots, low dialogue, and emotional story telling through actions when you're in the medium of story telling, which requires words over actions, as they are easier to convey.
> 
> This chapter is mostly focused to be a mix between "Jack and the Monks", obviously, and "Jack and the Mountain", not obviously. This is because I wanted to convey the emotional story telling that comes with having a great vision, and realizing the need for change to grow. Both the need to change, and recognizing that you have changed.
> 
> Jack hasn't yet, but this is the first big key to getting them there.
> 
> As for Avi, I thought it would be either her or Aphi would go with the monks, but I decided on her because Aphi would just be another member of their order, while Avi brings the new wisdom that Shaolin Monks so often seek with their younger members. Balance in mind to bring new ideas that do not destroy old ways.
> 
> Take care and please leave a review! I want to make sure everyone is understanding what's going on.


	8. Jack and the Killer of Justice

Forty-five years have passed.

Forty-five years since he had lost a battle against a demonic shogun, and been thrown into his twisted future. Forty-five years since he last saw his family, and so long now since he believed he would ever see them again. Forty-five years that continued to count as they days went on.

And only five years now since he began to enjoy counting that number, for reasons that currently pestered and bickered with him as they walked down a desolate and dry road. Pestered with insistency, curiosities, and sincerity to alter his judgement upon a matter non-trivial.

Where it only one of the girls that pestered him for something, Jack would find the action warming and sincere, but still unconvincing. When the six of the girls hounded him for an altered opinion and choice, it became tiresome. More tiring that watching the rolling landscape that refused to change down the length they walked.

" _Dad!_ You _promised_ you'd give us chance!" Aki continued to let out, leaning over to look at his tired eyes, even as they continued to walk. "You kept talkin' up how honorable you would be to your promise if we kept to ours, and we _all_ know how much honor matters to ya." That it did, but Jack was not moving, metaphorically, to the young girl's argument.

"The answer remains no, Aki," he replied neutrally to the insistent girl, her already thin eyes narrowed at him from beneath her furrowed brow line. Her ruffled hair swayed with her steps.

"But that's not fair!" Life often was not. Jack had assumed the young girls were aware of that by now. Perhaps he was mistaken, at least in regards to Aki. "We kept up our end of the bargain just like we said we would. So why are ya tryin' to take back your part of it?" She pointed at him, screwing her eyes in the same she twisted her wrist. An insulting gesture that Jack would not answer or honor, perhaps ironically.

Instead, he returned his gaze to the road ahead, watching still for anything new. Nothing immediately returned to his gaze, nothing but the cracked hazel landscape, bare of any greenery or buildings. Only a blue sky along the horizon show evidence keeping the sight from being a truly disparaging one. The little ones, however, were doing their best to make up for it.

"Aki does have a point, father," Adi now, perhaps the only one other girl to speak so often and readily with Aki. She flanked his other side, opposite Aki, but with a small journal open before her and working through its pages. "You did say we would have the opportunity to try it at least once, so long as were able to complete the tasks you set before us." He did say that as well.

"And we did all of 'em, gauren-freaking-teed!" It was not so hard clad a promise as Aki was making it out to be, even as she threw out her arms as if in exasperation for his inability to move aside and agree with her. It was humorous, if viewed from the outside, as Jack was feeling much the same for the girl's continued insistence and her siblings' partial agreement. "Just in case yer 'bout to say we didn't do _all_ of 'em, I'm willin' to be that Adi's _also_ got them written down!" Her focused stare switched to her sister, lips pulled into her usual crooked grin.

"I do." The grin of Aki grew with Adi's words. Jack sighed, resigning himself to listen to Adi list off the tasks. Jack sighed again as the detail-oriented girl began to list off her list.

"Ashi and Aphi would master the movements of the Monkey's Paw Strike, accomplished by Ashi five days ago and Aphi yesterday." They had perfected it well, enough so that Jack was wondering if he would be able to fight them without holding back anymore.

"Ami would design a larger model for your motorcycle, even though it was destroyed again recently, so that it can either accommodate all of us or be easily fabricated numerus times smaller sizes. In order to preserve the difficult terrains, we travel, Ami designed it for the latter nearly three days ago." Jack had gone over those designs with her as well, if only to wonder about that they needed. He could not understand the terms of two-versus-four cycle engines, chassis strength, or axle torque durability, but she had, and he was satisfied with the designs.

"Ahi was tasked with trying to come up with a manner or type of food that she could cook to allow us to travel along harsher terrains without being worried about restocking quickly or running low on supplies, and she did such before we began traveling along this terrain a couple of days ago, choosing to flash-dry meat into jerky, topped with salt for preservation and water to add moisture." The jerky was dry, as Ahi said it would be, but the spices she included during the drying process made the buffalo meat rather tasty, far better than the food he normally ate. She was elated to hear the approval of her sisters and himself, again.

"Aki was supposed to assist me, which she did occasionally," Jack did not miss the more energetic, and insistent, of the girls click her tongue. "But you told me to design a history of the Spartan war fought from 4,432AK to 4,521AK. I accomplished this, also noting how it was _your_ intervention that basically brought the whole thing to an end." And that she did, as Jack recalled he gave her testimony of the Spartan King and his son, not to mention their rather talented arms in battle.

"I was the one who helped her find all the books and stuff, really just keepin' track of what she'd already looked through and hadn't." It was all that Aki could do with her otherwise unconventional skillset. Jack nodded his head in recognition, even as he recalled being unable to think of a task for Aki to perform in order to show her diligence to studies.

It was rather difficult to have her design musical equipment, design a new dance, or even destroy something for the sake of 'improvement'.

"But, no wait, don't you see?! All that is _not_ something you can say didn't happen, not when Adi's got it written down like that. Ya know she doesn't like writing about fiction either." Jack would not honor the insult or insulation. "We _were_ all there when you made the promise. Hell, I'd bet a meal that Ami's got it recorded on somethin' she built!" The messy-haired girl threw her arms out to her side, doubtlessly indicating her inventive sister walking behind Jack. He didn't need to turn to look at her.

"I did." The answer of the intelligent was proof enough she was both there _and_ on the side of her sisters. "Dated at approximately 5:34 AST four days ago. I haven't had time to flush or compress the files yet." Of course, she wouldn't, though Jack wasn't about to pretend he understood her timeframe or the necessities for doing such. "And I feel inclined to agree that failing to allow us to at least sample what we were promised would make such promises in the future more difficult to take to heart." Ami as well?

Now Jack turned an eye to her, past Aki and seeing the girl shuffling her pair of satchels. Her eyes were on him as well, far more than when they normally traveled. Just past her, Jack as Aphi keeping her eyes on him as well, the enlarged backpack she was carrying swaying with her strides. Far from a rarity, when matched with Ami, but certainly unusual while he was in conversation with Aki, if it could be referred to as such.

Even more than that, it was the harsh acknowledgement that she was nodding in agreement with Ami, and by extension, Adi and Aki. Four of them now, all of them insisting on Jack to provide them what he had said he _could_ , not would.

For that Adi had written, she never deemed it necessary to point out such. However, Jack was rather aware that such a reasonable point would do little to convince the girls. It was always a simple act for them to ignore details that did not benefit them.

"There are a great number of paper and societies in the past that have concluded it is beneficial to social interactions and long-term health, dad." Jack turned his head back to look at Adi, her head out of her book. "Some have allowed the activity to be performed at ages as young as twelve, as a sign of maturity or completing a coming-of-age task. Isn't that why you assigned us different things to do?" It was, but it wasn't why Jack did it.

He had done it so they would take great time to do so. Clearly, he had underestimated their abilities, or perhaps the difficulties of the task. The caretaker in him suspected the former, but he hoped for the latter.

In comparison to the girls who still followed, and currently pestered, him, Jack was focused only on the road ahead, wondering what kind of town they would find next, if one at all. It was possible they would reach a sea or ocean beforehand, or perhaps the edge of an arid jungle, matching the land. He hoped for a town though, even one that was built of metal and ash befitting the desolate land. At least there they would have rooms to stay and perhaps food to eat.

Although, if it was such a town, then it would mean the girls would pester him only longer for what they wanted, and what he had, unwittingly, promised. His many and long years of travel did tell him such a thing was frequent in towns that had little else to provide.

He never had any difficulty finding alcohol or drink in towns separated from the rest of the world.

"Alcohol ain't even all _that_ bad for you!" Aki continued to persist. "If it was _that_ bad, it wouldn't be sold all over the place like it was the latest and greatest thing!" There were many horrible things sold in great frequency within Aku's dark future.

"Technically, different forms of alcohol _are_ used in a lot of dishes." Jack draw in a slow breath through his nose as Ahi made herself known to the conversation. He was foolish to think she wouldn't want to try something new to drink. "And while they cannot be used as a substitute for other nutritional needs, they do have an anti-bacterial factor to them thanks to their fermentation process, making them safe to drink… in the right environment." Perhaps she was right.

"The answer remains no." But Jack didn't want them asking whenever they were _in_ the right environment.

"C'mon _dad!_ " Aki let out indignantly. Jack did not fault the child, unruly as the hair she adored to leave unkempt. She walked ahead of them and twisted back, walking in reverse to keep eye-level with him as she spoke. "We're not little kids anymore. Seriously. Haven't been for a while. Keepin' us from having a few pints of _beer_ is just gonna make us want to try _shots_ instead, you know." Jack sighed deeply at the strong stare the girl gave, hands on her hips and a pout to her lips, thin as they were.

True as that was, it still was not reason to allow them to partake in what they currently wished. It was a step too far for them, at least figuratively and in the moment. Older though they were, they simply were not old enough. And they wouldn't be until they stopped growing.

How he amazingly wished the far off and subtle sound of whistling wind, heard only when there were no words being spoken. He had not even heard a flicker of the breeze since they began to walk, and he knew just who to lay the blame upon, not that she, or they, would accept it. Not when they were already so insistent to not accept his decision.

"You _cannot_ act like you haven't drank _some_ when you were our age," Aki pestered on, though for once with the support of her siblings. Ahi and Adi were nodding vigorously beside Jack, listening to their sister as they watched him for an answer. "And it's better for us to try it out with you 'round than runnin' off and giving it a whirl in some seedy place you don't trust." Jack narrowed his eyes to focus on the road, keeping himself from imagining just what would happen if she tried. Jack had already threatened too many others for when it came to regards of their physique.

Truly she was determined with this. No, Jack corrected himself. Truly _they_ were determined with this.

The little ones, after all, no longer struggled to keep pace with him as they moved. Puberty and time did wonders for their height and endurance. It did just as much for Jack's inability to control himself around the wandering eyes of crowds they ventured into.

Perhaps if he told them they may understand. But with the strength of their training, their talents, and their determination, it was unlikely.

They were his children, after all.

"If father says that we are not ready yet, then we are not ready." Jack sighed in relief, looking towards Ashi as she walked ahead of her sisters.

The words that fell from her were often were agreeable and controlled. Even with hands folded tightly behind her back, eyes staring evenly with her siblings, though with an air that carried apparent wisdom and respect, despite being matched in both with her sisters.

"Pushing him as you are will not make him bend as you hope it to. For I, at least, cannot name a moment in the past where insistent of something has changed his mind." And she was correct, again. There was no way that Jack would allow them to sway his opinion with words alone.

"You cann _ot_ be serious, Ashi," Aki argued back. There was little surprise in the action to Jack. "I _actually_ refuse to believe you don't wanna try a shot from a bar. Heck, _you_ were the one who asked about it first!"

"And my curiosity was satisfied by father's answer and witnessing the effects it had on those who drank it." Aside from controlled and agreeable, she was also hard to find an opening with. Jack could only wonder where she gained such an ability, against his preference to stay silent. "Why would I wish to be inebriated for the sake of merely _trying_ something? Unlike you, I do no need to experience something to know it is foolish."

"Well… maybe you _should_ experience some new things! Cause at least I'm not afraid to try something new." Jack was already wary of the boiling tension, enough to shake his focus from the road and look at the siblings warily.

"Fear is not a factor in my decision, only loyalty to father's words and the knowledge that there can be strong negative consequences to consuming the drink. Worse yet that none of know the drinks that are _safe_ to drink." Yes, because there was an inherent risk different between drinks. Not a matter of safety drinking at all.

If anyone attempted to be friendlier with the girls in his presence, there would be a brawl swift, vicious, and worthy of tales.

"Then how about instead you-!"

"Hey, what's that?" Jack looked to Ahi as she interrupted the conversation.

The girl with double-spiked hair was pointing to the distance, aside from their path. Jack realized only after he followed her hand that he had not once looked in the direction, not while he was focused on the road head. And when he did so, he saw what captivated her, if only barely.

Across a small hill, desolate and barren as the rest of the long terrain, peeking out from its top like the curious glance of an owl, was a plume of dark smoke.

Smoke that rose from something he could not see, but dreaded upon realizing what it likely was.

"Most likely… a fire," Adi spoke for him, knowledgeable even with undesirable recognition. "Maybe not a great one, depending on the distance, but it has to be fairly large, to be seen from so far away…"

"Oh geez," Aki spoke in return, voice a far cry from the argumentative tone from before. If nothing else, she knew what was important and when it was necessary. "And… we're not thinkin' its someone just roasting marshmallows, right?" Even if she joked too often.

"That's too big for marshmallows." And Ahi joined her, though her voice far softer than the more rambunctious sister. "And… And I can't smell anything." Evidence enough, from their long journey together and her nose trained from experience, that it meant nothing was being cooked… intentionally.

"How far away is it, you think?" Aki asked on. Jack had little idea, aside from close, but farther than a brisk walk.

"Approximately 1200 meters, within an error range of 30 meters." Jack turned to Ami as she spoke, curious of her answer, only to see her holding a small tool in hand, blinking as she held it towards the smoke and hill. Another invention then that he had little grasp of. "The dissipation of the smoke implied that its source has either already collapsed or is the process of burning through its reserves."

"A fire nearly out then," Ashi concluded. "Should we head over there father?" Perhaps years ago, Jack would be surprised by her question and willingness. That was not the present.

"Yes," he answered her, a nod of his head following. And only after he looked to all of the little ones, meeting their eyes to see their willingness to follow, did they proceed.

Their pace was rushed across the ground now, off the harshly beaten path and along dirt and terrain so much harsher than the normal grasslands or forests they followed. It mattered little not, instead the only concern reserved for the plumes of smoke in the distance, small billows that became clearer, larger, and easier to see with every step they took.

Too soon, with a rushed pace, did they find the smoke, a column now more than the soft plumes of a single release. A column of smoke that was dark as night and harsh as a suffocated cloak. It was nothing Jack wished to see. But even more so, he despised what he knew now it was coming from.

And once the hill covering the smoke was over-taken did the truth of it show.

A town, a village, a collection no more than a dozen or so wooden buildings, all torn down and alight with flames.

Jack sighed deeply at the sight, wishing so much more now to have returned to Aki and Ashi arguing than to witness more of this. But preference was never something that the present took to consider, not of those who lived through it. He could only act, and action asked for him and the little ones to continue on.

He never enjoyed seeing the ruins of a town torn to cinder and ash. He never enjoyed looking upon the rubble and knowing that life once persisted or flourished within it. He never liked imagining the monsters responsible for the destruction as well.

But those were all things, all sights, and all people he had to bare witness to. Him, and the six little ones who followed him.

They reached the town quickly, whatever its name, but entered it hesitantly, slowly, warily. None of the girls spoke as they entered, none of them questioning what to do. All of them were doing as Jack did, watching the town and looking through the rubble with narrowed and cagey gazes. Jack turned from the village, quickly and briefly, enough to ensure the little ones were alright.

Aki, Ahi, and Adi walked together. Aki at the front as Adi put her books in the satchel she carried. Ahi followed them, nervous but keeping her pace. Aphi and Ami did the same, with the dual horn-haired girl keeping her arms spread and eyes wide. Ami nearly hugged her back, their closeness apparent.

Ashi walked with him, by his side and looking everywhere he did not. Jack had nothing to say, for now.

For now, he had only a ruined village to explore, what little there was left to search.

Search as he and the little ones had too many times before.

He saw Ahi, Adi, and Aki venture down a path towards a large building, one that likely had many windows and a single large entrance when it once stood proudly. Now it was reduced from two floors to one, fire crackling from its edges and black char staining the once prominent wood.

Aphi and Ami walked head without a building to search, Ami carrying a device Jack recognized now, though not its name. A tracker for heat, looking for patterns of temperatures instead of sights alone. They had found many people int eh past with it, and he knew better than to question its use.

"Should we search there, father?" Ashi asked for Jack. He followed her hand, pointing towards one of the few buildings that remained unruined, though far from untouched. It had its supports, its height, and its door still present. No fire crackled from its windows or walls, nothing apparent.

But it still bore the remnants of battle, with many slashes across its wall, a section of the high wood torn apart, and the usual char marks of fire ruined through it. No fire caught, perhaps, but the building was caught in the fire.

He nodded towards Ashi, her idea good. There may be something within, or in the very least, information on what happened. He could not bear to walk through a ruined town, any desolate place, and now at least discern the evil that had took joy from its destruction.

Jack entered the building first, Ashi close behind. His boot echoed on the wood as he stepped onto it, crying out against him. It echoed through the room, hollow and filled with ruined furniture. Overturned desks and chairs, sliced and ruined pictures, all of it turned to nothing worth saving, only remembering. Ashi followed in soon after him, silent as he was to the destruction.

His footsteps were measured and short as he walked through the building, careful of every room he peered into. He looked for anything that may be new, anything that may show that it was the source, or the remnants of the battle that had taken place. All he saw was more ruin, more destruction.

He entered the last room, it being slightly larger than the others before it. It carried more damage because of it. The window sliced through, shattered glass and ruined wood crumbled along the floor. A desk that was both overturned and charred black with fire, no longer worth anything but scrap, and a pair of chairs smashed to pegs of wood, ruined beyond any semblance of repair.

It was all so familiar, but still so unclear. Looking over it as he did, Jack could not see the obvious kind, or signs of battle.

Was it a battle of flames? Of blades? Of hand-to-hand blows? The ruins outside made the latter unlikely, but he couldn't find out what may have caused the culmination of all three. He sighed again, rubbing a hand through his beard in thought.

"Should we check upstairs?" Jack nodded to her question, listening to her far lighter footsteps move towards the stairwell. He waited to follow after her, waiting to see if he saw anything new.

Standing in the ruined room, one of a dozen in a desolate town, marred like the endless land that surrounded it, he heard and saw nothing else.

And to think, only a few short moments ago he missed the sound of silence.

"Ghhh…"

Jack whirled like a wolf at the noise.

His eyes fell upon the ruined table, rubble in all other considerations. What he heard was not shifting wood, not cracking embers. It was one thing and one thing only. A groan, from a voice, from a living person.

Jack was above the pile almost in an instant, hands wrapped around the charred and ruined wood before tearing them up piece by piece. They were flung to the edges of the room without thought, his eyes searching instead for something, anything to make that noise. He wouldn't stop until he reached the floor.

Or, as was the case, the body beneath.

It was a woman, immediately obvious, wearing a long rob that was torn and ripped to pieces, stained all the same with blood and gore. Perhaps once it was an alabaster white, but now it was a crimson red. A crimson red that marred her body from head to two. Her exposed and marred chest, her slashed and oddly bent legs, her stump of an arm and the other that clung to it, and even her face, marred and nearly swimming in the blood.

Even if the blood were not present, the heavy dark strands of her hair were splayed over her face, hiding her as if it was Aki's hair at a longer length. Jack immediately threw the idea out, refusing to see any of his daughters in such a ruined state, like the woman beneath him who must have been so close to death.

"He…. He-" But still, somehow, clung to life.

"Don't move," Jack immediately command, kneeling next to her. Even closer he saw that none of the wounds that she bore were simple or superficial. They were all deep and sharp, cutting into the skin and muscle beneath. At some points, even bone. "You are gravely injured, but there is nothing else to fear. Nothing here can harm you."

He couldn't see her face, to tell if she was glad thankful or wary. He could only hear her moans, given through gurgles of her own blood. His hand, gloved and caked with dust, wiped the blood away from her mouth, letting the air flow into as best it could.

"He's… out th-there…" He, her attacker. For her to focus on that… she must know she didn't have long.

"Who is he?" Jack questioned, sure to let her answer. His hand fell on one of her larger wounds, vainly hoping to hold in the blood. She didn't even moan in pain at the contact, perhaps already too numb.

"War… killer… hunter…" All things that were common in the desolate future, all common to Aku's evil acts. "Jus…tice…"

"Justice?" Jack repeated, questioning and curious. The woman did not answer immediately.

Not before she coughed up a pocket of blood.

The bladeless samurai raised his hand read to wipe away the vital, but offensive, liquid from her mouth. But he was stopped by the woman herself. Stopped by the only arm she had left raising to his own.

It was only then he noticed the object clenched tightly in her fist.

"Stop… him…" she continued on, hand dropping to Jack's own. "Killer of… Jus-s-tice…" Her hand unfolded in Jack's own. He stared at the object as it caught on his hand, staying in his own.

Even as the woman's hand slipped and fell from his grasp.

Jack bowed his head to the corpse of the woman, ruined beyond any measure of recognition. It was a pitiable sight made only worse by her final moments, moments that he could not afford to let go in vain. His dark eyes turned to the object in hand, long, thin and yet unstained by the gore of the woman's body.

By all considerations, it appeared to be a headband of some kind. Detailed, yes, clean, yes, and of fair make, of course, but that was all.

He could not understand why the nameless woman gave it to him with her final breath, telling him of the thing that had taken her life. He could only stare at it in wonder and confusion, thinking of what was to come next.

This was something he wished he could ask Avi about, but she was no longer here, helping the Shaolin Monks in the impenetrable fortress. Perhaps there was something of the fabric she could recognize, a rarity to it or make that would make it worth killing for. It was a selfish hope that he had, a poor excuse to see her again.

Jack shook his head with the thought. She was safe, and the rest of the girls needed him. Needed him just as they were searching the town for him. He had to tell them of what he found, before they wasted time or energy.

But if this was something of grand importance… perhaps it would be of more worth to wear. It was a headband, and that was the purpose of them, was it not? Like a ribbon in Avi's hair…

" _Don't put that on!_ " Jack nearly dropped the thin piece of fabric in shock.

His eyes turned, wide yet focused, to see one of the little ones looking up at him, arms outstretched as if to grasp the headband from him. The girl was panting, the strands of her bob-cut hair bobbing with her motions. Jack watched her, though refusing to move himself.

The Ahi and Aki were aside Adi, paused after the outburst of the girl. Hardly surprising, but currently without a reason. The flames crackling in the back of the village kept silence at bay, but it couldn't last forever.

"Adi," he spoke her name finally, never taking his eyes off of her. "Do you… know what this is?" Because he did not. Jack saw it for only what it appeared to be. A long piece of alabaster fabric, coated or tainted, depending on the viewer, with red and black markings of the _'Ni_ ' symbol. A harsh _'two'_ scrawled in text so similar to the language he had grown up and learned.

The fabric fluttered in the wind, as if trying to take off from his grasp, but he held it tight. It made not a sound compared to the slowly burning embers of the city, muted by the destruction wrought around it. Jack, however, paid no mind now to the city and only a passive knowledge that he held the band in his hand.

His attention was on Adi.

If anyone in their small group did, it would be the child who read more books in the five short years they had been together than he had taken steps in fifty years. The girl who read with abandon until the late hours, kept strong track of the information she learned, and yearned to absorb ever more with each passing day. It was possible for her to have knowledge of what this object was, passed on from a dying woman. And the nod of her head spoke clearly of her knowledge.

"I do. I think. I'm pretty sure. Almost positive." Half sure then. "It looks… familiar at least, like I've seen it in the back of a journal or someone scrawled it onto a book they forgot wasn't theirs." She was rarity even with that, finding the notes of scholars that tarnished texts to be boons, not soils.

"Then what's it about," Aki asked for Jack, though he did not move to correct. It was a question he shared. "Is it like… some kind of super weapon? Or like a mark of a king?" Maybe not those kinds of questions.

"No, wait… Yes? Sort of?" Jack felt his eyes narrow upon the girl. Not of malice or disappointment. Never for a girl that yearned to learn and teach. Only from curiosity. Adi had been around him long enough to know the difference. "I-It's complicated because… I _think_ I know what it is, but… but it's not something that's super popular or even all that well-documented, if it is." Buried knowledge then.

"Then, if possible, may you tell me what you do know?" Jack knelt to reach her level, though not nearly as far to the ground as he would have only but a year ago. The little ones were hardly to be called such anymore. "Or, rather, why you feel I should not wear this?"

"Y-Yeah, I can do that," Adi nodded as she spoke.

Then, she explained what she knew.

* * *

"Headband War?" Adi nodded as her father repeated the name. She wasn't surprised, seeing as she was sure it was a mistranslate the first time she had read about it as well. "They referred to it as the headband war?"

Her father asked as they continued to walk as well, moving to fine whoever the 'Killer of Justice' was. There was little to no surprise on the part of Adi that Aki and Ashi were heavily invested in finding the man. Even less so when their father said that they would, the unspoken signal for her and her sisters to start putting their talents to use.

Less than an hour within the ruined town, though small and humble yet still ruined, and they continued on an invisible trail for the man. The road ahead of them stretched for the miles she often feared to walk so long, dust and billows of dirt rising and falling from the otherwise unvegetated land. The hills that stretched around them rolled like the cairns of dust. It was only too evident, even without a map or guide, that the town they had left behind in embers and ruin was isolated from the world along its expanse. There was little to see and even less to do in what could only be called the desolate land.

That meant it was time for Adi to do her part, and that was providing information. Too bad it was on a subject hardly anyone knew about.

"Named after the headbands that they were fighting over," Adi repeated as well. "I remember it because it was an anomaly in respect the naming convention of other wars, which related to either the locations fought in, people involved, or time the war took." Immediately she thought of World Wars, the War of Spartans, and the 100-year War.

"They fought over… cloth?" And that was why she read over it so many times. Saying it aloud made it sound even more ridiculous than when she had read it in texts.

"Technically, yes," she answered, her bob-cut hair leaning with the tilt of her head. "Buuuut it's a bit more complicated than that. There's supposed to be a long set of superstition and semi-factual powers related to the headbands, though it's been difficult to find much about them that remains consist or verifiably true."

Truthfully, however, she hadn't looked hard for it before. A part of Adi believed the few pieces of documents relating to the war were nothing more than a fool's ramblings. It was far more common in the newer texts than she'd like to believe. The fact that it persisted a few decades didn't mean much when the relative consistency was so low.

"What I _do_ know for sure is that there are supposed to be several headbands out there, but only two that matter. As in, the Number One and Number Two headbands. The Number One can only be challenged by the Number Two, but anyone can fight the Number Two for his headband." And that was why it was part of the reason why it was so difficult to find consistency in the texts.

They hardly made sense.

"I-I'm sure there's more to it. I mean, I-I have suspicions but… I can look up more in a bit, after we stop I mean." She finished with an adjustment to her satchel and backpack, shuffling the books and journals in both. She was desperately trying to remember which book had the most information, and if she had taken notes in any of her journals about it.

Ashi was right, she _should've_ reorganized earlier. Her backs were unbalanced, making her lean as she walked, not to mention that the spine of one of her books was pushing into her back through the material. Probably Hodler's History of Divine Mythologies. Avi probably would have reminded her to clean it… Probably…

"We can stop soon," her father's words shook her from her quick mental lapse. She stopped herself from shaking her head. "A good pace is fine to keep, but we cannot tire ourselves needlessly." Right, that made sense. She had almost forgotten _why_ they were moving so quickly.

Of course, their father wouldn't forget. He was always focused when something bad was happening, always knowing just what to do.

But, of course, he did. He was their father after all.

"Do you think there is anything to that, Adi?" Said girl turned to see Aki walking up to her, away from Aphi and Ami. It was nothing new to have her asking questions about what she had learned, even if it was usually an excuse to not help Ami with her inventions or Ahi with cooking. But what was she asking the content of?

"Are you asking about the war, or the headbands, or…" Because it really could have been any of those. Her sister only decided to wear a crooked grin, a look she wore too often for Adi's tastes. Clearly not for Aki's own.

"All of it." Adi rolled her eyes. Her sister really didn't want to listen then. "Nah, nah, I'm kidding. Really." She placated Adi with her hands waving in the air, a slow chuckle running through her grin. "But seriously though, you think there's anything to the super powers in that headband? I mean, we've seen some pretty crazy stuff, but usually it at least _looks_ kinda crazy too. That's just… eh." Her hand tilted back and forth with her words, even her small falling with the lack of an impression the band left on her.

Adi could not fault her for much. It was true, after all, that majority of the artifacts, texts, or otherwise mystical to mythical objects they came across tended to _appear_ to match its power, if only a subjective sense. Though the reasoning for it was often to match as well.

If someone was to entrap a wish granting fairy, as a purely exemplary figure, they would not use an ordinary glass bottle. They would likely use a bottle of some grand design, shape, or color, or an etched enclosure that showed the power it held, or perhaps, if all else was to not be used or considered, then some form of guard or impressive lock to keep the fairy enclosed.

In contrast the headband however, still held kept in Jack's pouch and out of sight from the her or her sisters, for good reason, it was… plain. Very plain. Gaudy even. Something Avi wouldn't have liked…

"You are right that it is visually unimpressive," Adi began, speaking to Aki again upon noticing her sister's curious eyes and leering grin. "But the tales are rather… separated in regards to their abilities. As I said, the only definite law to them appears to be the order of the headbands, that there exists a Number One band and a-"

"Number Two that ya need to fight One and Two's a free-fer-all, I got that." Her hand was waving now. Adi wasn't sure, quite honestly, if she should have been happy Aki was actually listening, or disappointed that she didn't seem to care. "But like, you got nothin' on _why_ that is? Is Number One immortal or somethin? And Number Two is like the kryptonite or something?" Of course, she would refer to fictional media as an allegory. Adi rolled with it, Aki was her sister, after all, and she knew her sibling the best, right in between their father and Ashi.

"I really don't know," Adi replied as honestly as she could. "The thing about the headbands is that they are supposed to be, well, mysterious." The utterly unimpressed look that Aki gave her was not surprising. Adi knew she had worn it herself after she had found there was so little information about the subject. "I _know_ that sounds dumb, and I _really_ wish it was different, but that's all I know. They could be real as the Jewel of Neptune or about as dumb as the Anubis Portal was." Because that portal was just _stupid_ there was literally nothing worth finding there!

"Great, so it could be an all-powerful too that kicks some serious butt, or a piece of fabric that people are goin' and crazy and mental over." She rolled her head as she spoke. "You'd think that if people were trying to talk about how great those things were that they would've included that kind of stuff." Normally, Adi would agree. However, this was not normal. It wasn't in many senses of the word.

Normal wars, if it was alright to call any war normal, weren't fought over such small tools of powers. Objects that could be _perceived_ as power, symbolic in nature such as a throne or crown, perhaps, but even that was a rarity. Usually they were fought to merely kill anyone who could contest.

"Not wrong, no," Adi agreed. "But actually, I'd prefer to think of it, or more like I _did_ think about it the headbands being a measure of the fighters. So, it was more honorary than anything else for the fighters to not be able to fight the Number One unless they had the Number two. It could be seen as that, but I will admit that the amount of assassinations, supposed poisonings, and the number of deaths listed as dishonorable killings makes that harder to believe." Even though she only ha a part of the picture, it was rather har to not see a fair number at that.

"Then that's _really_ confusing." Aki went on. Adi didn't have anything to add, because Aki clearly didn't. "I mean like, is that why the girl was hidin' the thing? She didn't want to get attacked?" It was a possibility, Adi admitted, but that wasn't where she did her best thinking. Ashi and their father thought about that kind of stuff best, usually because they always won their fights. "So, like then, what's the under over for the chances of them _actually_ having super powers or something? Think it'd be worth snagging the band from dad?" And her recklessness was showing.

" _No_ ," Adi gave a hard look at Aki as she spoke. No way was she going to let that one pass. "Just in case you missed it. I _yelled_ at dad to _not_ put it on for a reason." She pointed at her sister, even if it was done with a heavy bag and satchel making her sway off balance. She could've at least offered to help. "In case you haven't been paying attention to the last five years of ours lives, which I can easily believe, we've been caught up in crazy enough stuff to justify being a little wary of some headbands that people are literally killing one another over."

"Alright, alright, geez, I was just asking." Aki quickly backtracked with hands raised, grimacing in the same motion. Adi kept her gaze straight and pointed at her sister, long enough to see the grimace turn into a regretful frown. "I was just wondering if it'd be something worth keeping around, ya know? We usually drop off or destroy stuff like this, because we don't need that kind of heat on us traveling, least according to dad." AT least she was willing to listen to him on that regard.

"Yeah, I know." She did, she really did, recalling the number of centuries to literally millennial old artifacts they had to destroy because there was a _slight_ chance of it corrupting one of them, or someone else. "But dad has been doing this longer than any of us have been alive, literally, so it's not a good idea to try and go against what he says."

"Shouldn't yeah," Aki nodded. Adi watched her grin grow. It was impossible to miss, considering how there was literally nothing else for miles to look at. "But it's a lotta fun when we do." Nope.

"Wrong," Adi immediately fired back. "It's a lot of fun for _you_ when _you_ do. Don't lump me in with your crazy habits just because I've joined you a few times." Granted, yeah, they were fun, but they weren't fun because they went against what dad wanted. There was a big difference there. Big as the difference between a journal and a memoire.

"Why not, you find the best stuff when we go and do that kinda crazy stuff!" She threw her arms out with the declaration, grinning madly as she always did. Adi almost hated how often Aki did that around her. She also loathed how often she was _right_ about it.

"That's… not the same!" She fought back valiantly. "The purpose of what _I_ do when we go out is to _find_ something. You just want to go out and break stuff!" Aki didn't even deny it.

"Yeah, but isn't that half the fun of goin' out?" Adi shut her journal in exasperation of the confession. Her sister, honestly. At least Avi knew how to keep her in control, mostly. "Kind of like it'd be fun to see what'd it be like if we tried on that headband. At least if I did."

"I don't need to ask dad to know the answer is still no." Neither did Aki, fi she could venture a guess. He was doubtlessly listening to them, seeing as there was almost nothing else to listen or see for miles still. Especially if they were tracking this… killer of Justice. "Not if we're after the crazy guy who destroyed the town."

"Yeah, that's a good point." Adi almost breathed a sigh of relief, hearing her sister tone down the excitement. "Just wish we had an idea of what that guy's like now. Destroying a whole town for a freaking headband." She clicked her tongue with the statement.

"It's not pleasant, I know." Though common in wars or battles that sought an artifact of any kind. Though honestly, usually those involved fights between squadrons or battalions, not a single man. "But that's why we have to hide the headband, especially if we're after him."

"Yeah, sure, I got it," Aki waved her hand again. Adi didn't even have the energy to care anymore. "Don't want the crazy man to attack us on sight. Don't want anyone else whose after him to do the same." At least she understood that much.

"Correct." She was glad she remembers that much from what their father told them. "The moment that this Justice Killer sees a headband, assuming that is why he destroyed the town, he is liable to attack. And we have to at least develop a plan for him." Granted, she wasn't sure how much of a plan she could contribute, but dad and Ashi both were rather good at those kinds of plans. So, she'd listen to them, same as Aphi, Ami, and Ahi.

"Yup, wouldn't want to anger the killer by waving a white flag." And she started to snicker with the comment. Adi wished she could be surprised.

Still, she couldn't be serious.

"Are you _laughing_ about the fact that people died over _headbands_?" Adi didn't put any heart into the question. Because truthfully, against the many other reasons she'd read and researched for starting or exacerbating wars, headbands were by far the most ridiculous.

"Nah, no, not that," Aki dismissed with a wave of her hand, even if she kept her usual grin beneath that mess she called her hair-style. "Just thinking that Avi could've told us something special about that thing."

Yeah, she could have. Adi didn't say anything in response.

Instead, she focused on the road again, thinking about their sister, still back in the forest and helping the monks with their change. Adi had spent days documenting everything she could from then, making sure she knew exactly where Avi was staying and everything involved with it. What she was going to be doing, where she was sleeping, what she would need, all of it. Like studying an ancient culture, she had to know.

She had to be sure that wherever Avi was now, she was safe. And in truth, though she wished she had found something to tell the opposite so they could have an excuse to go back, she found nothing. Nothing but evidence that Avi really was in the safest place she had seen for some time. Shielded from Aku, protected by warriors trained like their father, constantly improving their body and soul, eating so well Ahi was jealous… it was all so perfect for Avi.

And here they were instead, walking a land that was drier than a desert and cracked worse than eroded statues of eons passed. It was… depressing.

"Father, can we stop?" Adi turned when Ami spoke up, looking at her sister. She was working on something being carried by Aphi, looking up at their dad over it. "I think… I think I have something."

"Do you?" Their father asked. Ami nodded in response, simple per usual. "Then yes. We may take a break." The words brought about the usual habits from everyone.

On an unassuming part of the road, no different than the stretch they had walked, their father sat down in a crouch, Ashi joining him by his side. Ahi immediately set out her pack and satchels, fishing for the jerky that she had prepared per their father's tasks. She had a stick of it in hand before shew as able to get her own backpack off, Aki digging greedily into hers.

Ami and Aphi settled the large object they were working on to the ground, her hands never leaving it as Aphi made sure it was secure on the cracked floor. It was only after she had let go of it that Adi realized what it was, morbidly at that.

The head of a robot, decapitated and ruined.

She held back any disgust she felt, pushing away the reminders that droids and artificial life such as that had been around for so many centuries now that they had a mythology and culture to them that was a joy to read. The mixture of code and literature, turning the literal proof of their life into something worthy of reading for children and scholars across the world and stars.

But Ami dug into its eye, pulling out the caps to the lens and plugging it into the mobile computer of hers without a say in the matter. Aphi was just as silent as the display went on.

"So, what've you go to show?" Aki asked Ami, even as her sister continued to work. It was a question Adi shared. "Some last log file 'er killer mod you found." Aki did have a way of making situations less serious…

"Aki, please chew your food first." There was hardly any bite behind the comment from Ahi. They both knew convincing Ahi to speak properly with food in her mouth was as likely as their father losing a fight.

"Wha'? If you can understand me, not like it matters." Even their father sighed at the comment. Truly Aki didn't care at all what anyone thought of her.

"I'm almost ready to show you," Ami began, however, earning their small family's attention. "I was able to find a significant part of the disk memory to this robot remained intact, separated from the SSD of its main platform. It lacked a processor or power source to access it, but I was able to solder quickly some new wires to let me-"

"In a language we can understand, if you please." It meant something when Ashi interrupted like that, in place of their father. He didn't correct her, however.

"Apologies, I… I think I can see the last image or video recorded by this robot." That was significant. And important. It also explained why she was getting out her external screen. She had to have something to show it.

"Hmm," their father hummed, hand scratching at his beard. "Perhaps we may see just who this Killer of Justice is." It made sense that was the hope.

"Precisely," Ami agreed. "I'm also hoping to be able to discern any notable methods to his fighting, particularly his reasoning for attacking the village entire… and burning it." That was also something to note. Aphi nodded from her place next to Ami, agreement clear.

They waited in short silence, chewing on Ahi's food as they waited for Ami to finish her task. Adi made sure to bring out a journal to write in, documenting the potential threat they would be dealing with, specifically anything she may have to cross reference with other sources involved with the Headband wars. If it was an old participant, or a descendant, it would behoove her to learn it. Notes were key to making sure she didn't miss anything.

Ashi and her father were similar in that their attention was focused on the screen, currently blank as it was. It wasn't going to remain that way for much longer, and it was evident they had no intention of missing anything that filled it.

And static quickly did just that.

Everyone around the screen stopped chewing as the image quickly morphed to one of the village, already being torn to ruin.

The video, as the flames were crackling so it very clearly was a video, was being taken at an angle, doubtlessly because the robot's head was either already damaged or removed. Then how was it recording? It was possible it had a reserve battery that was meant to make reattachment possible but… but now wasn't the time to think about it, even if Adi furiously scribbled the note.

She and her sisters watched a gunman on screen backing up as his revolved fired at a figure hidden by the flames. No sound came from the video that was playing, only the sight of the sparks that came from the barrels' ends evident that he was firing.

Firing, until an explosion of red sent his arm off in one direction and his body in another.

Aki clicked her tongue, Ahi gasping at the sight. Adi made quick heavy notes of what she was seeing, ensuring that she wouldn't forget anything.

The figure stepped through a blaze, only to be flanked on two sides by a man and a woman, a woman, Adi realized now, that looked remarkably like the one that her father had found in the building. She was unbloodied, wielding a katana, and running with a speed that she was sure showed great strength and training. The man was no different, as her father had taught her to recognize forms, and the man had confidence in his own.

Confidence that lasted until they were sent into explosions of blood no different than the gunman. Adi still couldn't keep track of what was happening, only what became of it. That went into her notes.

The woman's arm was off to a side, the man she attacked with standing before the killer with his blade raised to his eyes. Maybe they talked, maybe it was a silent conversation, but whatever it was, the woman fled from the man and killer, as the man stood his ground.

And as she passed the screen, it was evident she was holding the Number Two headband in her hand. Adi made note of that.

"Was that the-" Adi silenced Aki with a harsh hiss, getting a just as quick apology from her sister.

There was no sound as the swordsman and man clashed, only the sight of sparks amidst the fire of the burning town. It was the first clue to Adi that the man was using a sword as well, perhaps little different than the man who was being beaten, badly, by the killer. Her eyes were glued to the screen.

Glued as they danced across the limited vision of the robot, dancing with their blades parrying back and forth at a speed that Adi could not track. Her father and Ashi probably could, and probably were. Maybe Aphi, too, but not her. She could only note they were too fast for her eyes to follow.

And because of that, she concluded they were not only faster than a video could record, but also superior with their skill. But the killer was better.

That was made clear when he sliced the man in half, from groin to head.

Ahi was shivering next to her. Adi let her lean on her, even as she was sure Ami was doing the same with Aphi. Maybe her father was, neither Ashi or Aki, but that wasn't noteworthy. The skill of the killer was. It was important to record every detail she could.

And she scribbled furiously, as fast as her eyes and hands could move, as the killer finally became clear against the flame. She traced his robe, his thin arms, his long blade, the long, almost endlessly so, headband that flowed from his head in a violent wind.

But more than anything else, she recorded the afro of hair that rose and billowed above his head.

* * *

Ami didn't regret her inventions. Never could. They were the reason they were able to do so much, and one of the few ways she could help her father and sisters. She couldn't fight as well as her sisters, or be as vicious as them, but she could make things they couldn't, easily, so it only made sense she would use that to help her family any way she could.

But that the moment, she was having seconds thoughts about showing her family the video. Even if it was hours upon hours later.

It was so late that the earth had continued its rotation on its bent Z-Axis, allowing the light of far-off stars to shine across an otherwise unilluminated sky. It was not enough luminescent to allow for safe travel, and implied that they would be required to stop for rest.

But they did not at first, at least not as quickly as they usually did. Perhaps it was because their father was not comfortable resting after witnessing the video she had found. Perhaps it was because he wanted to find a safer location or vegetative patch of land to rest on. It was also a small possibility he simply did not want to stop while such a vicious man was out there.

But the most disturbing of thoughts, and a thought Ami did not have the counter evidence to dispute, was that they did not stop readily because neither she or her sisters had spoken since they watched the video of the killer samurai.

Not after their father had told her to stop the video. There had been nothing but silence since his command.

Ami had done as se always did when she was finished reviewing data. She compressed it, stored it, and discarded the remains of the robot. She packed up her equipment with Aphi's help and continued walking with her sisters, chewing on Ahi's jerky. But where as the normal reaction to her findings was discussion or deliberation of action, there was now nothing.

There was only an unsteady wind, hot and harsh like the otherwise desolate land, no doubt a consequence of it. There was no sound from any of her sisters or father as they continued to walk, silent as the day turned to night and they made move to camp. Nothing at all.

And that was disturbing.

It was why they didn't know what to do when they had broken camp, Ahi handing out food she had hastily prepared, an odd combination of greenery and meats she didn't follow. It was why they were all sitting nervously as they waited for discussion, with even Aphi being uncomfortable with the silence. But still, none of them dared to break. Ami was not to do that herself.

They were stuck watching the fire, crushed and prepared by Aki in haste. Watching as its exothermic reaction to the dry wood gave off a level of lamination and heat that comforted them in the cold and unprotected night. The crackling of wood kept the silence away, and each small spark was comparatively louder than her explosions, given the moment.

They did that, because there was nothing else they could do. Not while their father still sat with crossed legs and a focused frown beneath his extensive facial hair. It was not something Ami enjoyed seeing, her father distressed.

They were all watching their father, carefully, uneasily, waiting for what his first command would be.

"I will watch first."

That was not what Ami was expecting, because that was not normal.

Even as he stood, armor creaking as he did so, lance in hand, Ami realized that above four out of five of their normal encounters would begin with their father asking of what they thought of the day. Usually an unassuming and mundane question that was often used to make them think about the purpose of their actions. What they had hunted, eaten, built, fought, or explore. But now, there was none of that.

There was only the sight of their father, walking off and away from the crackling flames of the fire, disappearing into the darkness. No one, not even Ashi, dared to follow. They only watched, uneasy and, most distressing of all, perhaps a little afraid.

Ami hated to feel that, more than anything. More than even failure.

Because it felt like a failure that had affected _everyone_.

For longer than normal afterwards, given the few datapoints for correlation that Ami had to work with, she and the rest of her sisters waited by the fire, staring at it, unable to decide if it would be best to attempt to sleep or discuss what had happened. Talk, now that their father was no longer there. Ami did not want to be the one to begin the conversation. She was already the one who had created the reason for the silence.

"So, are we gonna talk about it?" And she was never so happy before for Aki's need to speak. "Cause I think we gotta talk about it."

"Speak about what, Aki?" Ashi returned, arms folded and glaring at their sister. She wasn't happy. None of them were. Ami didn't need to judge to know. "About the man who acted as a dishonorable samurai? About the headband that supposedly drove him to murder a village? Which topic do you want to broach first?"

True to being so much like their father, Ashi saw two questions to ponder while Ami only saw one.

All she cared for was the man dressed in white with a bloody blade. She didn't care about an unkempt and unnecessary piece of fabric. She was surprised any of them would.

"The man! Or… both? Cause he was after the headband? But he's the reason we… Gah, I don't know!" Aki fell back with a groan. Only a series of questions and Ashi had derailed her thoughts. "I just… that's the longest I've gone without talking in like… forever. Minus being asleep. And even though I'm not as smart as Adi or Ami, I'm not dumb enough ta not realize _why_ were all literally quieter than the freaking wind." Ami wished she could say her sister was exaggerating. A quick decibel analysis of their previous hours, however, showed she was statistically correct.

"Dad's just thinking. It's not like the rest of us aren't." Adi spoke with her nose in her journal, doubtlessly cataloging her thoughts. "We've seen a lot of killers before, from humans to aliens and robots, but they've all been… different. Obviously crazy or just too weird to really think much of. This though… it's too close to home."

"Home? What, you think the whack job reminds dad of his old home?" Aki did not sound convinced as she asked the question. Ami knew it was because she misunderstood Adi in the first place. That meant it was her duty to correct.

"Adi is metaphorically referring to the similarities between the man on the .mp3 file and… father's old fighting methods." They didn't have to have seen them first hand to know the reason why their father was called the Samurai by so many. It was not for his heavily inspired armor or habits, not alone. "So, father is… questioning why someone is behaving like a samurai yet so… distant from one."

"So, it is about the guy then, and not the headband." Groans came from their siblings, even as Aki talked. "What? I'm just keeping track of Ashi's question. I though you wanted me ta keep track of that stuff."

"Speaking it out loud is an unnecessary step to do so," Ashi responded in kind. "Further, though I have much I can say for your inability to notice the severity of the situation or your poor attempt to make light of it…"

"Nothing wrong with trying to break this tension." Ami disagreed with her. Ashi continued regardless.

"We still must focus on the man as well. It is clear he is after the headband that father is carrying, as the woman hide herself from him, her partner likely knowing he was no match for the swordsman before the fight." Ashi logically laid what they had seen, speaking with her fingers threaded beneath her chin and staring into the fire. Ami saw no breaks in the flow of her thoughts. It made perfect sense.

"Can't forget that the rest of the village was torched for it, too." Adi added in. "If he couldn't find her, it can lead to assumptions that she was both skilled in hiding and perhaps espionage. However… it is also clear that he was willing to kill innocents to merely insure she was killed as well." Ami had not forgotten that thought as well.

She still had the counter from the robot's central memory, a variable that had survived the RAM purge and counted deaths in total. She didn't wish to tell her sisters of the number. Mentioning death needlessly was always disconcerting.

"Should we think about where the man will probably go then?" Ahi spoke now. She was preparing her grill once more, the one that Ami had built for her a few months ago. It was clear to see she was being diligent in keeping the grease trap clean, preventing any flammable substances from igniting. "I mean to say… there isn't a lot around us, and he must have realized the same thing."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aki asked. Ami shared her curiosity, for the moment.

"I mean that he must have known that there was no where else for her to run. So… for him to fail to get the headband from her must mean that he either thought it was destroyed… or he _wanted_ someone else to take it." Ami had not thought of that.

She hadn't thought it was a trap, because she had not seen people use a trap like that before. Not with… actual people.

Robots, decoys, blackmailed captives, those were all accounted for with double digit occurrences in the past. But for a man to kill a woman, knowing what she had, and waiting for someone else to take it… why?

"Why would someone follow that train of logic?" Ami finally question aloud. "If there was a goal to accomplish from the action, it remains illusive if such is the case. The man is risking a headband that Adi says may hold mythical power, offering only a high probability of future instances of mortal combat, and ruins any chance of maintaining an atmosphere of conformity or thought." The last one bothered Ami the most. She could not stand the idea of not be able to think.

Fires and fights tended to push those opportunities from her.

"No," Ashi spoke up. All eyes turned to her as she spoke. Ami recognized the dip in her tone, Mezzo-soprano to Contralto. It was a clear indicator she had latched on a thread of logic Ami had missed. It was her talent to share. "No, Ahi is correct. He… he _wants_ to fight." Ami knew what she meant, but loathed the implication. "The false samurai doesn't want the headbands, he wants _fighters_."

"Say what?" Aki asked again, leaning back on her palms. Her feet sat greedily close the fire, forcing Ami to think against wishing they'd scorch her soles. "He's _tryin'_ to get people to fight him, like to death? How the hell's he managing that?"

"By killing those who have the headband, or gravely wounding them," Ahi continued her theory, backed by Ashi's approval. It was hard to not gain confidence when she thought the same. "The man didn't… the fake samurai didn't try and rush for the headband the woman was holding he… he fought the man who was trying to protect her, then he _waited_."

"You mean that last shot in front of the fire? That wasn't just the camera loosin' its power?" Ami would admit, the possibility for that occurring was high. Unfortunately, it was not true.

"The images of the file are time stamped. There was no noticeable dip in the frequency of the images appearing to warrant a delay in the video." Neither had the display speed decreased. "The man was indeed standing in front of the fire, immobile, for a non-irrelevant amount of time."

"And that's what bothers me. Well… bothers me after… everything _else_." Ami saw Aphi nod beside her. She agreed with both her sister. There was a _great_ deal to be disturbed and uneasy about this. "It's a rule that father taught us, that inaction is an action in the heat of battle. Doing nothing does create something. Like… like doing nothing while meat burns allow it to cook." The allegory was acceptable.

"Are you sure you're not just hungry?" Aki's tone wasn't mocking, Ami carefully noted. But neither was it serious, which was unacceptable.

This was a serious matter.

"I'm not joking around, Aki," Ahi countered, even if she paused in her cleaning and glared at her sister. The pout of her lips made it far less effective. "What I'm _trying_ to say is that the man was… waiting for her. It was like he was _waiting_ for her to escape."

And that made an unfortunate amount of sense to Ami.

The man was waiting for her to escape, the woman that was so viciously attacked, in case she was able to find other fighters, or people who also had headbands similar to that of the now designated Number Two and Number One. He was treating her as bait… and that meant that they had taken the bait from her with her last breath.

Truly she wished she had not found the robot's memory system now.

"That's insane," Aki spoke. There was no jovial undertone to her voice. "That's crazy, and stupid, and dumb, and… and that doesn't even make _sense!_ " Ami had no fault for her sister now.

It only took a small glance from Ami to see the way Aphi was acting. From the way she was looking at Aki, shaking her head with disgust, it was clear she thought very similar. The clenched fists, tightening against the pack she helped Ami carry, was another clear indicator for her emotional state. Ami didn't fault her either.

It took only a glance to tell it was an emotion shared.

"It doesn't," Ashi agreed with Aki. "A crazed man's mind, that of the fake samurai, isn't supposed to make sense. Either Ahi is correct and the man is killing for sport, just as a false samurai would, or he is madly devoted to finding the headbands and he is killing innocents for the thing." They were the two most statistically likely situations. "Either way, he is mad, and his madness will not stop from a village's death, no matter how dire it is."

"It… fits," Adi spoke up now. Ami only now noticed that she had a new book in her hand, not a journal. It was presumably one of the many texts likely to hold information of the Headband Wars she was narrating earlier. The fire reflected in her eyes as she read the text. "It is said that the owner of the Number One Headband is swayed by its power, either to rule, to kill, or to hunt with it. There has never been an instance of a holder of the band practicing pacifism or preferring conversation."

"Unfortunate, but unsurprising," Ami added. It really wasn't a surprising fact to hear, no matter how unfortunate it truly was. "Unlikely, given the criteria for earning the headband, that the Number One would not be proficient with battle in some method, no matter how odd or insulting. Further unlikely that the wearer would attempt an approach to challenger's contrary to his own." If Adi's information was correct, the Number One Headband had to be taken through battle, not discussion.

"Then it… fits even better." Adi shut her book with a dull slap, setting it on her lap before looking at the fire. Her face was pensive, worried, and hard. All the characteristics that were mirrored on their sisters. No one was happy or pleased. No one was okay.

And it was her fault for finding the video and showing them. If she hadn't they would be having a relaxing dinner with father as they were given new tasks to complete and goals to reach. Now… they were worrying about a man that was faking their father's title as if for sport.

Ami hated it far more than she believed she would, or should.

It conceptually was not her fault for being unfamiliar with the man before he appeared on the robot's memory. There were no signs towards him being so similar to their father, let alone any indication that he would be hunting something they had. If they merely thought that it was a mad monster, then they would not be in the current situation she and her sisters were.

Sitting around a campfire, staring at the slow combustion of the dry wood and wondering what to do next. She loathed the inability to develop a clear and present answer. Aphi may understand, hopefully she did.

She was the only one of her sisters who was sitting near her, staring at the fire and remaining silent as usual. That was not uncommon. The break from normalcy was in the tightness of her fists, the narrowing of her eyes, the focus their father often schooled them on. It was what she and Ashi excelled at the most.

The ability to stop, focus, and think. Ami was too used to running with the ideas that jumped in her head to worry about the consequences. And now, she regretted the mindset deeply, for it had caused issues with their father, like it had in the distant past with the bombing related robot, whatever his unimportant name was.

"So," Ashi began to speak. "The man is hunting those who bear the headband, presumably Number Two and all those beneath it. Yet, he also heavily imitates father. Is there any chance he may be using these headbands as an excuse to merely challenge our father to combat?" Not unlikely, Ami recognized, but unlikely.

"No others have needed to resort to such extreme methods in the past," Ami noted aloud. She would say everything she knew if it meant redeeming her mistake. "It appears that he may merely be looking for any kind of fight, and the similarities with father, though striking, are merely coincidental."

"Bullcrap." Ami held her tongue at Aki's outburst, even if Aphi gave their sister a hard stare. "No way some dresses like that on accident. I mean, c'mon! Ask freaking Adi, no way any samurai would normally wear a robe!" Ami's narrowed eyes curved in recognition to her point. "There are like dozens of freaking pictures of the guys dressed in heavy armor and stuff."

"She's right about that," Adi added. "Samurai tend to favor heavy armaments, both in defensive and offensive abilities." She wasn't even referencing a book. Aki's grin was triumphant.

"See!" She shouted, messy hair twisting with her head. She was the only one grinning among them, of course.

"However, until recent years, father has not been traditional himself." Adi's continued information stream made Aki turn to her with a look of betrayal. It was unwarranted, as facts did not have a side. "Father tended to wear robes as well in his early years, and has only recently adopted his heavier outfit to compliment his heavier weaponry. As is clear from interactions with others, however, our father has not seen many of his old companions in some time, making the knowledge of his newer appearance, despite the years he's had it now, lesser known amongst his legends."

It was an unfortunate silence that followed, one that Ami was grateful someone filled.

"Then it is mimicry," Ahi spoke. "Trying to imitate dad because… because he's so strong." That was the most likely scenario, yes. It was doubtful it was meant as a taunt without the foreknowledge that father would even be aware of the fake samurai.

Now he was, but only because Ami had shown the video. She truly regretted that.

"I'm glad you think so highly of me." Eyes turned up as their father returned.

"Dad!" Ahi yelled out, almost jumping back in fright. Hardly abnormal, with consideration to their father's prodigious training at concealing himself. Only Ashi could even compare, but Ami did not miss the small gasp she gave out as their father approached. "I-I'm sorry! We were-"

"Discussing the man who attacked the village," Ashi took over for Ahi. Per usual, Ami saw no chagrin or distaste on Ahi, only thanks to their sister. "We believe that he was setting some form of malicious trap, likely to bring in new fighters who would wish to use the headband to-"

"Challenge him to a fight, I know." Ami had no surprise that their father knew. He was very wise when it came to understanding the thoughts of killers. He had a lot of experience for it, more years that she or her sisters had been alive. "I thought as much when we found the woman dead yet still in possession of the headband. It is a trap of his own making, following a diluted and vile tradition."

"You… already knew?" Adi asked now. "I mean, I'm not _surprised_ , but… but that was really fast. We like, just got it figured out." Maybe that was disappointment in her voice.

"Perhaps together you have, but I am confident a few of you suspected." Ahi, Ashi, and Adi, of course. They were the ones who spoke most of the theory. "Though the man is vile, he who killed so easily, he appears to wish to fight only those who hold this headband."

It was only then Ami realized that their father was holding the band tightly in his hand. It was far longer than necessary, swaying in the light breeze as he held it out. It almost appeared to glow in the fire light. An obvious optical illusion created by the white texture desiring to reflect all wavelengths of visible light, but one that was captivating nonetheless.

"If that's true then… then shouldn't we get rid of it? Like, torch it in the fire or somethin'?" Aki asked the reasonable question, violent as it was. "Cause then, won't the guy, like, not fight anyone?"

"Likely not," Adi answered. Eyes turned to her, and she took a moment to realize father was watching her now as well. "Sorry it's just… the one thing that is persistent in the legends of the war is that those who wished to end it tried to destroy the headbands… but they always failed."

"So, then they _are_ cursed!" Aki yelled out. "Cause no way some piece of head ware is so badass that it could go through a war and burning trials and _not_ be magical in some dumb way." Though her verbiage was off, she was not entirely incorrect.

"You need not worry. I have held many items of questionable origin before." Their father answered with his usual smile, subtle and hidden deep beneath the dark strands of his beard. The illumination of the fire was too soft to show much. "Though I will confess, the idea of discarding it is strong."

"So then… we are gonna-" Aki didn't get far.

"But to do so would mean damning another who found it." Father interrupted Aki. "And as Adi said, destroying it is very difficult. It would be best to hold it, until we know what best to do with it." Ami agreed with their father. Calm before acting, per usual. It was what she needed to be. Calm, even if it was her fault.

She took in a slow breath, watching their father as he pocketed the long headband in his side garb. The long band nearly made the pocket bulge through holding it. Aphi was watching it as well, eyes narrowed and nearly scowling. Ami wasn't curious as to why. It was a horrible thing, and Aphi clearly hated anything that threatened them. It only made sense.

"Still sucks," Aki argued pitifully. Perhaps it was whining, if Ami was being accurate. Their father, however, only offered a kind smile to her.

"It is unfair, Aki," he spoke as he settled into a crouch before the fire, staring at it no differently than they had before. "But the fairness of life is not fur us to challenge. We can only recognize it, accept it, and assist one another through it." Ami smiled at her father. She was not the only one. Rather, none of her sisters did anything but smile at their father.

"Maybe there isn't anything we can do about how it happened," Adi spoke up. "But… we have made it a habit of fixing the problems for others, haven't we?" And indeed, they had. Ami had enough logged data of such events to fill nearly a terabyte of her drive, of strictly event occurrences, geographical locations, and some video evidence.

Anything else would be damaging to keep hold of.

Ami reached for her pack, preparing herself to take out her datalogger. She was not as stringent as Adi when it came to recording visual data, not over measured variables, but there were events she didn't want to miss data on, and this was one such even. How else would she be able to accurately recall the tale of the Headbands without some evidence?

She grabbed at her pack, undoing the buckles on it, before stopping as something caught her eye. Or, more accurately, someone.

Specifically, Aphi, standing up and walking next to their father.

Ami watched her, curiously. It was hardly new for any of them to desire to be around their father, especially when he promised good deeds to come and beneficial actions for others, often relating to their action and intervention, but Aphi… didn't tend to seek him, not like this.

She was most prone to hugging him after a fight, thanking him for training, or asking if she could have a seat across from him on the public transportation. This was abnormal, more akin to something Avi would have done or Ashi actively did.

If their father noticed though, and he likely did, he didn't seem to mind. There was nothing to mind. Perhaps… perhaps Aphi was merely upset as Ami felt. That made sense, as she did assist her in finding the video. She did not procure it, as Ami actively, but she did contribute a meaningful amount of work to removing the robot's frame and chassis, giving her access to the memory core.

Ami shook her head, cursing her over done thoughts. She needed to learn how to focus like Aphi and Ashi. At least they were not easily distracted by odd actions, no matter how small. They stood to and charged towards their tasks, which explained easily their decisiveness and general ease for completing the challenges their father assigned them.

That was it, it had to be. Ami was just-

_SWIP!_ The sound of ripping fabric tore Ami from her thoughts. Tore her from her thoughts and shoved her eyes back to her sister and father.

And Ami could only gape, mute as her sister, as she stared as Aphi and her father.

"Aphi, what-" Father silenced his tongue as he stared at her sister.

Aphi didn't speak, not normally. She preferred to focus on others and do everything she could to protect them. She helped Ami out with all her projects, she hunted for Ahi, she trained with Ashi, she collected books with Adi, and every little of what she did was for herself, if ever.

But staring at her now, Ami saw her doing something that was not inline with what she, her sisters, or even their father thought was best. She was doing something that was out of character, counter to all preceding actions she had made. And yet, she was still doing it.

Aphi was holding the Number Two headband, tight in her grasp, and standing far from their father and the fire.

"Aphi?" Ami questioned her sister, but her sister did not return her gaze.

She only stared at the headband, as if it were a threat.

Ami, now more than ever before, shared the emotion.

* * *

Aphi hated the headband on sight. She knew why.

It wasn't because of the dark past that Adi mentioned, it wasn't because a woman died for it as they had seen, and it wasn't because it made their father act cold to them for hours after they had found it and the woman. Those were things related to the headband's finding. But as Ami would say, that was information beyond its control.

No, Aphi hated the headband on sight. What Aphi hated was what she _sensed_ about the headband.

From the moment their father had shown it to them to the current moment in which she held it in her hands, she had _sensed_ something wrong with it. Something similar, though foreign, then that of the spirit in the Monk's shrine or the ghosts of the machines. Something that she couldn't tell was there, but had the feeling _had_ to be there.

It was a feeling she got whenever the headband was in front of her, _roaring_ when it was being held in front of her by her father, and muted to nothing when it was placed in his pack and gone. It was there, it had to be there, and Aphi knew that it was there, even if her father and sisters didn't. They never did.

No, Avi did. Avi sensed a spirit, because the spirit talked to her. Spirits didn't always talk to her, but they did cry out to her.

Cry out like creaks in the old houses or moans of the wind against tangled trees. Low sounds that her sisters and father didn't hear, barely heard whispers that floated by her. They weren't her imagination, not something she made up. Not anymore.

They were muted in the red mountain, when she was being trained with her sisters. They were dulled when they fought as a family, their father's war cries and clashing steel pushing them away. But in the silence that persisted otherwise, they were unescapable.

This was the first time, however, that she could sense a spirit so _strongly_.

She didn't know why it was so different from the other spirits, what about made it so unique. Maybe it was older, or wiser, or made of something other than a soul. Maybe it wasn't a soul at all, maybe it was like the spirit that spoke to Avi, yet ignored her. Maybe it was something she had never experienced before. Aphi believed that the most.

Whatever was in the headband wasn't like any other spirit she had sensed before. It was why she needed to know what was so different about it. Her eyes bore down on the headband, wondering how to bring out the spirit, so that then she could know how to help her father rid the world of it. It, and whatever curse it carried.

"Aphi! _Aphi!_ " She looked up as her name was called. Her narrowed eyes rose from the long Number Two headband, cursed and vile, to that of her father's eyes, wide and panicked. Neither made her feel well. "What are you doing?!" She knew why he was yelling. She knew why he was mad.

She had stolen he headband from him, and she hadn't asked for permission. It wouldn't have mattered if she had. He wouldn't have given it to her if she asked for it though. Father wanted to protect her, protect all of them. It was why he always carried the objects that were dangerous.

This time, however, Aphi knew she needed to hold it. Otherwise, it might hurt her father.

"Aphi!" Ami yelled out now. She was looking at her, holding one of her tools midway out of her pack. Aphi didn't focus on what it was. She was focused on her sister's gaze. It was the same kind of look she gave when she saw one of her tools being damaged or destroyed. Painful. "Aphi what… I do not know what you are doing but, but _please_ take caution before handling that! We have already established its dubious origins and volatile nature!"

"She's right," Adi now, calmer, though Aphi could tell she was shaking, even as her own hands shook as she held the Number Two headband. It felt wrong to hold, but worse to even think about releasing. The spirit was vile. "We talked about it, I _know_ we did. You know how that thing is supposed to be a curse of some kind, or at least have something about it that either acts as a challenge of mortal combat or, at _worse, creates_ it!" Her arms were held out, while Aphi's own were drawn in.

"Listen to Adi, Aphi," Ami returned again. "I… I apologize for what I did but… but your action like this is unnecessary." Aphi was confused now, if only a for a moment. Why was Ami apologizing? She couldn't sense spirits. Else, she would be mortified by the number of slow groans and silence that came from the robots she dismantled. "We can find another more suitable way to solve this issue, as we have in the past."

"You gotta listen to that, right?" Aki now. Aphi wasn't used to seeing her so wary. "I mean, _I'm_ the one who's supposed to do all this reckless stuff. You're the one who's supposed to pretty much follow was dad and Ami say to the letter." She wasn't wrong, but neither was she correct.

The headband in her hand felt like it was _throbbing_. It only reminded her of why she had taken it in the first place. Because it wasn't meant to be held by anyone else _but_ her, because at least she could _sense_ how awful it was.

"Aphi," father spoke again. "You need to… please hand me back the headband." His arm extended with the request. "I do not know what caused you to take it, but I am sure we can discuss it." No, they couldn't. Aphi had tried before.

"Listen to father." Ashi was the one who shot her down the first time, as she was doing now. She needed to focus, as she had said before, and now was the time to focus on the vile headband in her hand. Even if it made her father and sisters wary of her. They didn't understand. "It isn't our place to take things like this. It isn't like _you_ to do things like this." She wasn't wrong either.

"Aphi, please," Ami spoke again. The _pulsing_ of the headband kept Aphi from staring at her sister for too long. "I apologize, I am _sorry_ , just… please relinquish the headband back to father so we can have a communicable discussion about what to do." Aphi still didn't know why she was apologizing.

Because as she stared down at the Number Two headband, watching as its absurd length appeared to sway in the softest of breezes, she knew that it would be her that would need apologies later. They would begin after she returned the headband.

First though, she needed to put it on.

"Aphi! No!" She ignored Adi's words, as she tied the band around her head.

She ignored the panicked squeaks and noises of her siblings as she tightened the fabric until it was fastened above her brow.

She ignored the harsh breath her father released as she opened her eyes again.

Aphi could not ignore the new figure standing behind, and next to, her father.

It was only a figure, it _had_ to be a figure, because it had no relation to anything passible for human. Adi would have told her that. His grin was too wide, hair too crazy, skin too dark, form too hunched, head too crocked, clothing too crazy, and… so much else was just wrong with him. It was a him, it had to be a him.

"W'as up girl?" Because that was a male voice, so much more _vile_ and _slanderous_ than her father's. "Glad ta see ya finally got the Johns ta snatch me outta that back nine player's hands." His words were as confusing and twisted as he appeared.

It had to be a dark spirit, a curse like she thought. One that would have doubtlessly messed with and possibly attempted harm upon her father. Strong as he was, the spirits were beyond them all. She had heard their cries and moans too often to know that. This man though, twisted to a form beyond her recognition, likely would have screamed.

"Heh, 'bout time a gotta hottie holdin' onta me. Last one of ya short-skirts couldn't even put me on proper like." His words were disgusting. He looked disgusting. He _sounded_ disgusting. Everything about the spirit, the _thing_ was just _wrong_. Aphi could only glare at him as he kept _speaking_. "Ya got them eyes right on though, the kind of fucked up glare thatta right mean fighter likes ta use an' all."

And when the spirit smiled, he was _horrifying_. The horror tales that Aki pestered them with were less disturbing than this thing's visage.

"Was tha' matta'? Do I got too cute a face ta talk back ta me?" She snarled up at him, lips turning before she realized that it was an action she had taken without thought. It only made the gleaming grin on the dark and twisted spirit all the brighter, impossibly so against the coal black of his skin. "You lookin' fer some quality time, cause Ah'm a gonna have ta get yer number for anythin' like that happens, heh."

Aphi was right, he was vile.

Vile in every sense of the word their father had told them of and tried to protect them from. Vile in his nature, his words, his being, _everything_. It appeared as if it was a mocking nature of a spirit, so strong in its desire that she could _sense_ him. And that was disturbing. She could hear only faintly the mourning wails of ghosts at sea, haunting whispers of the dead in forgotten homes, small noises that reminded her family was never alone.

This thing, however, appeared to relish in nothing but its vileness, and a vileness so strong that she could hear him as clear as the sun was in the sky in a cloudless day.

It was disturbing.

" _Aphi_!" The yell made her turn.

Her eyes looked at Ami, string at her as she held some new device. Aphi knew she had helped her with it before, picking out the parts and the screens, but she didn't know what she did. She never did until Ami used them for the first time. The relief on her sister's face, however, was instantly recognizable.

"Oh, thank whatever, she's still in there!" Aki yelled from behind Ami. Aphi spared only a glance to see the unkempt member of their family nearly falling over her legs in relief. When had she stood? "Givin' us all a heart attack before we get to drink booze? C'mon Aphi, I already told you that _I'm_ the troublemaker here." Aphi had no desire for the title.

"Now _that's_ wha' I'm gonna call a fetchin' right girl. Ya know what I'm talkin' 'bout?" However, it was hard for her to argue against it, now that her deeds had brought the most _troubling_ of spirits to them. Or, more accurately, her. "Betcha that girl's gonna make a record ta rock the boots and shoes offa half thi' messed up world." Aphi could barely understand the spirit.

"Okay! Okay, okay." Aphi twisted her head away from the spirit, looking at Adi as she was nearly nose to nose with her. It took only a glance down to see she had her journal out, writing more than reading in it. "That was… not something I read about before. But your back! And, that's good because… because the opposite would be horrible beyond words." Aphi didn't understand.

What happened?

"Aphi," her father spoke now. All eyes looked to him, nearly towering over her and with his long beard pointed down. His lips were no different, hidden beneath the bushel of his beard. He was disappointed in her, she knew. She'd have to apologize later, when she took the headband off. "Are you alright? Are you… well?"

Aphi didn't understand the question. Was he aware, or worried, about the spirit? If he was, he would have said something sooner. Their father didn't hide secrets like that from them. He wasn't like that at all. Then that meant she had done something wrong, or looked like something was wrong.

She _had_ done something wrong, but that meant she should be scolded or punished. Instead, her sisters and father only looked… alarmed.

"She's okay! She's… she's just out of it." Adi spoke. Now she was writing. "It confirms to _some_ level that the headbands are cursed by some magic. Enough so that she was distracted from outside stimuli such as shouting or shacking. Non-permanent though, thankfully." Did they mean to say she was in a trance?

"HA! Bet that ya were!" The dark spirit yelled again from behind her father, she glared up at him, feeling nothing but contempt for the thing that enjoyed suffering so clearly. "Couldn't turn tha' faze way from this much black gold, could 'ya?"

Aphi wanted to kill the spirit. She truly did. Never more than now did she wish to challenge Adi on her knowledge of things. Because she almost _desperately_ wanted to at least attempt burning the headband she wore.

She wore… and could hardly tell it was there.

Her finger slipped over the fabric, tracing it as she felt her skin dimple underneath. It was tight against her forehead, almost like the ash her sisters her had… worn so long ago. It was there, but not, as if it were now more apart of her than merely a fabric of clothing.

The curse of the headbands suddenly made much more sense than she wished it too.

"Does it hurt?" Her father asked again. She looked at him guilty that she had nearly forgotten he was there. Him and five her of her sisters. Only one of them was safe now. "You can remove now, if you can. Take it off and I'll take it back." That would make the most sense.

It would make sense to just give it back to her father, let him carry it like he carried so much for them already. He could handle it, because he could handle nearly anything. He had done so in the past and even before they were born. But…

"Don't wanna let go of me tha' easily, do ya?" The dark spirit mocked her from above. Aphi truly hated the thing. "Hey now, no need ta put 'em stink eyes on me! I'mma here ta help ya out girl! It's part of bein' who I am!"

And what was he?

Did Adi know? No, if she had, she would have told them all quickly. At best, she could only guess the curse. Maybe she was right now, scribbling in her notes as quickly as she could. She was working as Ami was working, her device beeping over her and making noises she didn't recognize or see the significance of. Aki and Ahi were fussing in the background, doing something she couldn't notice.

But her father and Ashi were staring at her, watching her as she let her eyes bore into the creature that hovered above and around them, mocking Aphi. It was malicious, clearly, if not self-infatuated. Enough that it would be a danger by itself.

The grin was all she needed to know it promised nothing but harm, pain, and suffering on those that were near him.

It was that, and only that, that told Aphi she had made the right choice in preventing her father or sisters from wearing it.

"You should still take it off." Aphi was not surprised to hear Ashi's command. "If that headband is a calling card for the fake samurai, then wearing it is only going to be inviting disaster, literally." She wasn't wrong, but there was more to it than just that man.

"A-And we don't know how the headbands work entirely," Adi added on. "It's possible that the headbands call to one another, like radio signals or other paired elements. We have seen segregated keys having magnetic attraction to one another, a-and the headbands could work similarly." The snide sneer of the spirit spoke volumes for the possibility.

"I don't detect any waveforms, either of higher or lower frequency, being generated from the headband." Ami spoke as her device moved over Aphi. Perhaps that was what the device was, some form of waveform indicator, if that was an accurate portrayal. "However, I have yet to determine the manner in which mythical objects interact, be they magnetic, heat-induced, waveform synchronization, or anything else. It would be safer to take it off." It would be safer for Aphi, but more damning for her sisters and father.

So, she wouldn't take it off.

"The man we are chasing is dangerous, Aphi." Her father's words were stern as his gaze, focusing on her. She looked up at him, seeing the vile spirit hover behind him and Ashi. "He tore through the village with no remorse, and he holds no carriage to age or gender. You are strong, as are your sisters, but I am most capable of dealing with that robed man."

Aphi knew he was, because he was her dad. He was capable of fighting monsters, aliens, and even demons. Some fake samurai wasn't any trouble.

But they weren't spirits, they weren't things that she could tell were there only by _sensing_ them. Their father _couldn't_ sense them, and that would be trouble. If he wore the band, the spirit may do harm to him, even having it close.

Aphi wouldn't risk harm to her family, even if that meant risking harm to herself.

"They talkin' 'bout Afro?" Aphi's eyes, wide and alarmed, looked at the spirit. Even as the vile thing looked up and away from her, a gnarled digit poking at his chin. "Nasty thing 'bout that freak. All fer him when we started out, but that crazy mofo 'cided that it'd be betta ta take that Number One band and go on a wreckin' train harder than tha Justice fella. Least that crazy ball of sunshine had a system ta it." Aphi didn't care about that last part, only the part that came before it.

She looked at the spirit, taking a step towards him. His eyes finally turned back down to her, through the dark pair of shades that were twisted about his head. She didn't care about that. She was focused only on what he said.

"Aphi?" Ami was talking again, but Aphi ignored her. She'd understand later, when she talked and apologized for the headband. For now, she needed answers, from the spirit that had said so much with so vile words.

Aphi pointed at the spirit, wagging her finger up and down. He wouldn't understand her if she did speak.

"Wha'? You wonderin' wha's goin' on with Afro, too? Damn, and here I was thinkin' someone finally got them hot's fer just me." It was disgusting to hear that fr4om a creature as dark and cold as the spirit. The chortled laughter didn't help. "But yeah, I gotta few things 'bout that man. YA know he got onna crazy hate train all fer his own daddy, too?" She did not know that. Aphi doubted even Adi knew that.

"Aphi, what are you doing?" Ahi now, sounding alarmed. She could be, she was entitled to be, but she'd understand when Aphi apologized later. For now, she had to focus, and that meant talking to the spirit even as he kept the cruel white grin up. "Are you… okay?" She continued to be ignored.

"Guess that mean's I'ma right in one, huh?" His snide remarks and confidence were ignored. Aphi only need him for the information. He _had_ to give that to her. "Don't ya squint yer pin-prink eyes at me gir'. Seein' as yer wearing the Number Two on that big ol' forehead of yours, I'm a gonna help ya find him. Wouldn't really be fair if Ah just followed suit and didn't no nuthin' tha help, would it?"

Aphi ignored his laugh, his visage, and his remarks. She cared only about what he said.

He'd help her find the fake samurai. This… Afro.

The other had to know.

Aphi turned to Adi, reaching and grabbing the top of her journal. She ignored the protests of her sibling, easily pulling the book from her as the others asked what she was doing. They'd understand soon enough. She just had to show them what was happening. If they understood, then they'd be okay.

Her fingers flipped through the scribbled pages, the harshly and hastily written notes that Adi was known for Aphi knew what to look for, how to read them. She'd spent five years talking to Adi and knowing how she thought.

It was how she found what she needed so quickly, pointing to it as she turned the journal back to Adi.

"Huh?" Her sister squeaked, looking down at the page as she grabbed the journal again. "This… _spirit sensing_." The terror was present in her voice.

"Ghosts feel what now?" Aki's question served only as a focusing rod for Adi.

"It's… it's a theory I made up a long time ago regarding the tendency for spiritual objects to be drawn to one another, leading to battles, trials, or even just locations to rest in, like the suit of armor beneath the lake." Aphi remembered that, and the statute they had placed it upon. "I thought that the stories of spirits living in the items might have been partially true, enough to guide us on where to go, sense Ami couldn't detect anything else."

"It's a valid theory with no counter-evidence," Ami began. "But, Aphi… why are you… no…" She recognized the reasoning soon enough. Aphi knew she would. Her sister was smart, extremely intelligent, actually.

It was why she needed to protect her.

"Spirit of… the headband?" Ashi now, looking above Aphi's eyes towards the superfluously long and thin band of white fabric. "Are you saying you sense something… or it is guiding you?" Her questions were as pointed and precise as they needed to be.

And Aphi held up two fingers indicate which.

"That's incredible! A-And bad, actually, really bad." Adi's optimism rose and fall as her train of thought continued to roll on. "That means…t he other theories about the bands may be true, such as how only the Number Two can fight and slay the Number One…" Aphi hadn't remembered that, not until Adi said it.

"Gotta good on her shoulders, 'tween onnove finest body's Ah've gotta see." Aphi would have killed the spirit would she have thought it possible. For now, she could only endure the harsh words and vile nature of the ghost, promising to be rid of him soon. "Not wrong though, seein' as yer the only gal in the posy here's gonna be able ta fight Afro an' all." Of that, he was wrong.

Aphi would help them find this Afro, but she would not fight him alone. Not when the best fighter of their family was nearby.

"Hmmmm…" her father, the man who _would_ fight, hummed in thought. His arms were crossed and eyes closed, looking more like a pale shadow with the fire crackling by his side. The darkness of the night, alighted only by the barest of stars, didn't help.

No other sounds echoed for a moment, even the vile spirit silent behind her father as he thought. Aphi waited, patiently, with her sisters. This wasn't the time to rush their father, and she wasn't in the position to think of doing so. He was thinking, about her, and it was her duty to wait for his decision, no matter what it would be.

"Aphi," her father spoke again. "Do you trust the spirit to lead you, without fear of being led astray?" He meant tricked, she knew. Of the answer, she wasn't sure.

"You thinkin' I'm a gonna let ol' Afro get a one up on ya?" The vile spirit spoke again. "Nah, man, that ain't the Ninja-Ninja style. I'ma kinda ghost that's gonna let things play out the way them fighters want 'em to. I get involved, mean's I'm gonna be ignored all over 'gain. Ain't lettin' that happen, lemme tell ya!" He didn't need to.

And the words truthfully did little to ease Aphi's mind, or answer her father's words. It only showed the uneasy she had around the manic and vile spirit, both in his words, appearance, and actions. Everything promised betrayal, except his words.

Her father thought, Samurai Jack… he would not be taken in by a simple tactic as this.

Her father would find a way.

Aphi nodded in response, towards her father and within her sisters' sight. They all were silent again.

"Very well," her father answered. "Then at new day, we give chase." The answer brought relief and focus to Aphi and her sisters.

She, however, could only focus on the jubilant laughter of the spirit, as if he were a child. It was something she would ignore. In time, she would ignore all of him, once Afro was taken care of and her family safe. No spirit would haunt her forever like this.

Her father wouldn't allow it.

* * *

It had been nearly a year since Jack had felt such unease in a journey. Not since Avi stayed with the Shaolin and their small group was now devoid of the girl that brought love and compassion had they felt so quiet and cold. It took no long thought as to deduce why. Jack knew the journey would be as barren of conversation and jubilance as the land they marched through. He knew it well because he had found himself in so near a perspective many times before.

When new travelers joined his group, they often were the ones to either take up conversation or leave their words alone. It would be to Jack to stay quite and wait for them, for any amount of instigation on his part may be taken the wrong way. It was his duty as the solemn traveler of Aku's dark future to guide those who needed it, and offer support only when they asked for it.

His daughters were no different. Though they came to him for differing reasons than the many who were plagued by the future he was in, they were still in his care and sharing with his journey. They ate meals with him, fought battles with him, rested with him, and laughed with him. Their journey's beginning was not nearly so vibrant as their journey had been.

From barren red rocks and desolate dark streets to vibrant forests and laughter by the sea. From curious gazes and refusals to quit to inquisitive questions and requests for aid. Jack had no reason to feel anything but love for these changes, as they were signs that these girls, so tortured by the past that had consumed them since birth, were beginning to open up to him.

However, after Avi remained with the Shaolin monks, their journey grew quiet again. The more creative of the siblings was far from the most conversational, a role that Aki took to well, but she had a light in her that made the others, himself included, feel better of their journey. Caring for their belongings, decorating their items, distinguishing the beauty they saw, that was all lost when she left.

And for some weeks, they were left to find a new way to find happiness.

Much the same was happening again, but for a reason familiar to Jack, yet polar opposite to the departure the girls were used to. For it was not another one of them leaving that made the group so quiet, nor was it the sudden appearance of some new thing they had to endure.

It was the malevolence presence of a spirit that haunted the headband that Aphi wore.

Jack looked down at the girl again, even as their group continued through the dirty trail with silent tongues. She had spoken little, as she so rarely did, since they began to walk, since she had put on her headband. It was only unnerving because she refused to work with Ami either, the one sibling she shared much of her conversation and aid with.

Instead, she sat apart from the group, eyes following something Jack couldn't see. Adi had declared it a spirit of the headband, a name that Aphi had nodded her head towards, but she could not give it a name, at least not one she understood. She was only aware that it knew where the other headband wielder was, the man who had torn through the village and slaughtered those present.

Jack was not surprised she knew, as creature who owned fabrics and tools were so often drawn to their siblings of either spirit or make. The Scotsman had told him of how any of his blood could find that large sacred blade of his, and how the shields of the 300 Spartans were attuned to find one another across their bloody battlefield, days in and out. It was not surprising that the spirit of the Number Two Headband could sense the direction of the number one, less so that it offered to help.

What unnerved Jack was that Aphi had put the headband on with little question, little warning, and apparently, little regret.

She was the little one that so commonly did as ask and spoke not a word of complain or refusal. She was the one to assist with chores grand or small, massive or minute, helping whenever she could however she could. For her to take such a drastic action with such little warning, such little timing, was unnerving to Jack. To have one of his daughters act in such a way… it made him question how truly dark the spirit of the Headband was.

His fears were not abated, but aided, by the nervous way Aphi would gaze at the night sky as she tried to sleep, eyes darting about her bed as if to trace the spirit. Jack knew it to be the case, the new action so alien compared to normally composed sleeping posture. She was being tortured by the spirit, in some way other than painful, and it pained _him_ that he could do so little.

If only he had his sword then… Jack threw away the thought.

He could not help his daughter with maybes and possibilities. He needed actions he could commit to, not a perhaps in the future.

Ami and Adi had kept careful watch over her since she had put on the headband, however. Ami had used every tool she had to measure any changes in Aphi, be it mental or physical, and Adi had asked a hundred questions to better look up and ascertain the nature of the spirit and the Number Two Headband itself. Both were careful to explain that simply because there could be other headbands did not mean they were all the same.

Adi was quick to point out that there was no possibility of the same spirit possessing all the Headbands, let alone if there could be only spirits in the Number One and Two, or only the Two alone. If there was a spirit in one, it would naturally act different, though perhaps only similar, to another. She spoke of how it would give her a place to start her research once they reached a new civilization or library, to see if they had records of such similar spirits.

Ami, however, was clear to explain that no changes to one's mental state did not mean no alterations to their physical one. It was difficult for even trained warriors, sighting to Jack himself, to tell of the madness of their minds or any changes they may have undergone. If they were unaware, then it could lead to hazards involving their body, especially in the heat of conflict. She had to monitor Aphi, or else risk her sister being unequipped for dealing with danger when the dark future reared its ugly head.

They were both right, just as Ahi was right to bring out her more expensive and well-cured meats to keep their strength up, should they run across the swordsman. Just as Aki had become much quieter rather than throwing insults and jabs, as she was trying to keep watch for intruders, and just as Ashi was observing Aphi whenever she slept, to ensure the spirit was not acting in a way that was against their interests.

All of them felt some spite for Aphi, as Jack was well aware. But, they were still sisters. It would take far more than a single unprocessed decision to tear apart their familial bond. It was perhaps the brightest positive Jack had for the situation, even if they had yet to fall back into the comfortable silence of their trip nearly weeks later.

Instead, the marched through the barren desert with hardly more than a breath of air.

They traversed the high peaks of the lush mountains with only grunts of effort coming from their lips.

And now, they made their way across the edges of mighty rivers as they followed the little one who had donned the cursed object with little ceremony or warning.

Words had only been spoken as they had requirements to find. Wood for the campfire, food for cooking, materials for preparing camp, but never of their wellbeing. It was a depressing observation that Jack held onto, even as they continued their march.

Too often the past few weeks his words were met with only nods of understanding or quick rebuttals or quips. Never the conversation he desired, not once the long-spoken dialogue that he longed to hear from the little ones once more. Even as they moved across the misty falls of water, listening to the rush of rapids, they said not a thing in either awe or distress.

It unnerved him, the old samurai without a blade, knowing that the girls who were so enthralled with the world after having spent so long caged from it, did not appreciate the rarities of nature when they were presented to them, not now at least. They had too much animosity in their hearts for their sister who acted out of turn.

Not hatred, not disgust, merely discouragement. Love was still present, as none had even suggested of leaving as a joke, but none of them moved to aid effort with their usual joy. Adi did not eagerly seek the novels to help Ami, Aki did not volunteer to duel Ashi, Ahi did not bring forth food for Aphi. They were all so… distant.

It was a distance that Jack didn't know how to cover, not at the moment at least.

Because in the moment, it wasn't the greatest of concerns. The grander concern was for the warrior they were still hunting, the samurai of darkened skin that slaughtered for either joy or greed. Neither was an acceptable position to let stand.

"Are we closer, Aphi?" Jack asked the little one ahead of them, the long ends of the Number Two Headband still billowing from her hair. She turned to him for a moment, looking beyond him, then back to his sure gaze. Doubtlessly, she was glancing at the unnamed spirit.

But her nod of affirmation held much more clarity to it, as did the hand she held up a moment later, pointing up the trail. There were two meanings to take from such an action.

"Is he in that direction?" Jack asked first. The hard-singular nod of Aphi was the return. "Is he… within the day's walk?" Now her head stilled for a moment.

The little ones behind them also paused, whispering to one another as Aphi doubtlessly listened to the spirit. It was evident as her eyes drifted away again, watching something Jack couldn't see. The spirit may have been assisting Aphi, but it was clear it was not doing so in a manner she enjoyed.

She shirked away from nothing, often crouched and glared, and more than once over the past few weeks, growled into the air as if she were holding bad poor words.

Even if the beast of the Headband could be considered an ally trying to aid them, it was much too easy to understand that it was tormenting his daughter at the same moment. It escaped his hand only through its incorporeal form. That, and nothing more.

And once this was over, they would dispose of the Headband in a way that would protect Aphi and the rest of the little ones, from either more curious challengers or more spirits that possessed the long fabric. Perhaps Avi would know of the best way to dispose of the long silk, if Adi was correct that burning it may not work. At worst, it would be buried, far from the curious eyes and perhaps in a place that was meant to remain unmarred.

Maybe they could even offer the spirit peace of some kind. Maybe then this cursed war for the Headbands, as Adi had called it, would be over.

Jack's attention fell back to Aphi as she held up her other hand, moving her fingers in an odd pattern, as if deciding what number of them to hold up. She settled with a pair of them, raised to their tallest as she gazed at his eyes resolutely.

"Two days," Jack concluded, nodding with satisfaction. But Aphi shook her head, it made Jack quirk a brow, forcing him to whip some of the spare dew of the river from his brows. "Two weeks?" That appeared egregious, even if necessary, but again Aphi shook her head.

That meant here was only one more direction to go.

"Two… hours…" Now Aphi nodded, her hand closing into a fist. Jack sighed as he forced his muscles to relax. They were closed, but that was not the time to panic. "We are close then. It is time for us to make a plan."

"What are you thinking, father?" Ashi questioned from behind. She approached with her hands folded, as she so often did. "Are we to flank him and prepare him for you, or perhaps chase him into some plain you have prepared." Jack shook his head.

"No, I don't believe that will work." They were fine plans when they were in different environments, but Ashi did not consider who they were facing, and likely where. "The man we are hunting is skilled, yes, but he appears to also have some level of planning to him as well." That much was evident from the fires Jack saw from the screen Ami showed them. They were designed in the way they were.

"He did?" Adi asked, apparently unfamiliar. "How so? It appeared before he was just… slashing at everyone nearby." Her disgust for the act was, in truth, something Jack was grateful to see. But at the moment, it was unimportant.

Their safety mattered, and safety was predicated on information. HE would never lie to his daughters.

"He planned the fires, or burned them in a specific manner." He watched Ashi nod, apparently having suspected, but Ami and Adi both wrote notes, of likely varying content. Ahi merely looked appalled, with Aki growling at the suggestion. "He burned them to trap his foes, to limit where they could go. He will likely do the same again."

"But where could he go here?" Aki asked now, raising her hands and almost spinning. "We're next to a _river_. Unless he wants to have a splash fights, he's gonna have ta cut down the entire _forest_ to make a barricade to stop us. Hell, _you'd_ probably be able to jump over anything he puts up dad!" Her finger pointed at him accusingly, though there was not a hint of malice to it. She was correct, after all.

Unfortunately for the messed haired girl, there was another way to limit the fight. Ashi's pondering features spoke of her suspicions. Jack waited patiently for her to speak.

"Unless… he is waiting _across_ the river." She truly was much like him when it came to fighting. Ever a thinker as well as a leader. "Not in the water or merely on the opposite shore… he'll wait on a bridge. He'll wait on a narrow path to limit the number of attackers."

"He'd do that?" Adi asked now. "Why? It might limit the number of foes he has to fight but… he's just going to trap himself as well."

"Not if he's confident," Aki spoke again. This time, she was correct. "I bet that sick monster is thinking that if it's a one on one fight, he can't lose. Am I right?" A little more assuredness and she'd make an excellent tactician as well, if requiring a bit more form on the water buffalo stance.

"High probability," Ami confirmed for her sisters. "I have also determined there is a bridge ahead, indicated by collected geographical data. Unable to fully confirm due to a lack of satellite presence, but the probability is high." She spoke with her eyes on another screen Jack hardly recognized, but he trusted her words. She was very good with what she knew.

"The bridge is a good bet," Ashi continued. "Afterall, we have been tracking him for some time now, and with the Number Two Headband in hand… or on us." Jack ignored the glare she sent Aphi's way. "It makes sense that he was looking for his own spot to stake a claim for battle. He did want a fight, but this man is not so careless as to fight on any terrain. He wants to _choose_ his battleground." She was correct.

"I agree," Jack spoke to his 'eldest' daughter, at least in mentality. She nodded respectfully back to him. "However, it would be foolish to think all of us would cross at once. It is also unlikely we would be able to cross easily without the bridge."

"Also correct," Ami continued on, eyes still not leaving her screen. "The river bed is assumed to be at least twelve to fifteen feet deep, making swimming necessary to get across. However, it is likely at least one hundred metered in width, not including the likely pull of the current and protrusions that will be sticking up from the bed as a hazard." A single wrong step could injure their foot, making an even battle impossible.

Jack sighed deeply, knowing and loathing the purpose of bridges. He had not had much luck with them in the past. And, considering the strength of this warrior, cruel as he was, it was unlikely he would be gaining any more good will.

His eyes turned to the river, watching the water wash by, light mist rising from its ethereal blue waves. It was the result of a waterfall, still audible some distance away. Close enough to be heard, but too far too be seen. It made sense they would build a bridge at the top of the waterfall, to prevent falling debris from slamming into it.

It would also make any fall from its a near deadly trip. Truly a situation that only the most honed and confident of fighters would consider fighting on. Jack felt his eyes narrow at the thought, imagining how the battle would go.

If he had blade in hand, he had little doubt of the conclusion. As he was now… it was not so clear.

"I will fight alone," Jack spoke first, eyes avoiding those of his daughters. The reason was obvious very quickly.

"What!? Are your serious dad?"

"Why should we leave you to fight him alone?!"

"We've helped you fight _tons_ of tough guys before!"

Jack waited until they were done until he spoke one. It would not reach them if he interrupted a yelling contest. He had to wait, or else they would ignore him. Afterall, they were children still, no matter how strong or capable. They still had room to grow.

"I will fight him alone, because there will not be _room_ for us all to fight. It will be more a detriment than an advantage." There was growling, but… "The rest of you will remain in wait, with whatever tools you need to both secure the bridge and find us should we fall."

"You mean you, right?" Aki asked. "You're not seriously asking us to find that crazy whack-job if he takes a leap. I'd say good riddance and throw some spoiled meat on him. You got any of that Ahi." Her sister whined at the idea, but Jack cared more for her words than insinuation.

"It will be important to find him, or at least his clothing, because the curse of the Headband is the reason we are hunting him." It was a reminder more than an explanation. Aki was the only one who looked shocked at the words. "If he is lost to the current, it will only be some time before another unfortunate soul acquires it, and there is no telling the damnation associated with the Number One Headband."

"It is supposed to be the holder of the power, the one that is designed to make one closest to god…" Adi did not sound pleased with her own words, but facts and tales were not meant to be changed. Not before they were to be confronted. "If anyone finds it, there's no telling what could happen. It… It might lead to a killing spree."

"Okay yeah, that'd be bad," Aki relented quickly. "Just… I don't like the idea of you fighting alone dad." To that, Jack could smile fondly.

He turned to Aki, watching the girl shift under his gaze. He did not reduce the length of his smile, for there was no need to. There was never a reason to hide the affection he shared with his little ones. It was something to appreciate.

"I understand," he spoke in return. "However, I far prefer my own life be on the line, against a foe that killed so many innocents so easily, then to ask you to assist me against such a madman." They would understand, as this was not the first time he had instructed them to wait for him.

"We won't leave you though," Ashi now, loyal, though strict. "We'll be at the end of the bridge, waiting and ready for anything you need." The rest of her siblings nodded in agreement, and Jack felt his pride in them force his smile to grow.

Such innocent sweet little ones, able to conquer anything before them with their determination. It was something he knew deserved protection. And something he would definitely protect.

His gaze turned to the river again, watching it and the water that slipped by. The small waves cascading along the shore, the debris of trees that were carried with the stream, all of it so gentle, so easy, yet heralding a powerful fall farther ahead. It was a constant in nature, such as this.

Things of peace often came from acts of violence.

And it was his duty to ensure that the things worth protecting survived the encounter. It was his duty, his job, and his desire.

"I expect you to do just that," Jack responded to Ashi. "And I know none of you will disappoint."

He turned back to Aphi, the young girl wearing the Number Two Headband still on her head. She hadn't spoken, hadn't moved and still waited patiently for Jack to speak. He didn't. At least, not at first. First, he walked over to her, raising his hand to her from his higher height. She flinched as he approached, likely sure he was going to lightly scold her as if they were training.

_Pat_. But they were not training. They were preparing.

Instead, his hand fell on her head, rubbing the smooth bob cut she so often wore, pushing away the pair of spikes and horns that came from her ends. She didn't know whether to bat him off in annoyance or accept it as some kind of punishment. It was neither, and he suspected she knew it deep down.

Affection was important, and he knew the girls deserved much more than he could ever possibly give.

"None of you have ever disappointed me." Jack did not answer the curious look Aphi gave him. There was no longer time to.

Instead, he walked by her, walking off to the direction of the bridge indicated by Aphi and Ami. There would be the man who slaughtered a village for little reason, and ho would be waiting for them to approach. It would be there that Jack would kill another man, no matter how much he loathed the act.

For he could not abide a mad man hungry for blood in a world that housed his daughters.

* * *

Aphi was nervous, even though she knew it wasn't necessary.

Even though she had seen her father enter countless fights before, even though she'd seen him battle beasts of such strength and size they would make the smaller men tremble, and even though he had been doing this for long before she was born into the world with her sisters, this still made her nervous. And she wasn't entirely sure why.

That wasn't entirely true. Her nerves were frayed because she wasn't sure if what her father was doing, what he was risking, was her fault or not. No, she knew, it was her fault. She knew and her sisters knew as well. That was why she was nervous. So, it was a lie, a quick one, that she didn't know why she was nervous.

Aphi was terrified for her father because, for the first time, he was risking himself for _her_ mistake, even if it was made out of the best intentions.

It didn't matter if that was true, that she wanted to help and believed Adi when she mentioned the Headbands were possessed with a power that drove them together. All that mattered was that they were still hunting this man now, and only _she_ knew where he was.

"This gonna be a good match at watch, I knows it."

Because she was the only one who could see and hear the spirit.

Even as she continued to follow the river with her family, even as her sisters continued to shoot glares at her, even as her father listened to her, Aphi spared only a glance at the vile spirit that jumped from the trees high above them. The trail of smoke that billowed from the stick in his mouth was plain to see, almost as much as the dark and nearly rotting flesh.

"Watcha lookin' at girl? Thought ya be used ta me by now. Good ol' Afro only took a couple o' hours ta get used ta my good mug! GAH!" It was obvious he cackled only because of the wide grin he had on his face, even as he bent and whirled around the branch he previously sat on. Aphi paid him no more mind, instead focusing on the trail ahead.

They had to reach the evil samurai soon, so that she could take off this headband and beg her father properly for forgiveness. Him and her sisters. They would only accept her words if she wasn't wearing the literal reason they were upset at her for. So, it made sense it would be useless to apologize until she took it off.

She only had to wait. Lead and wait. Lead her father to the vile swordsman and wait for him to kill him. Then she could take it off, and with time, all would be forgiven. That was all there was to it. Patience and confidence.

"Man, I knows I've been sayin' it fer the better part of them past few days, but ain't cha gonna talk ta me girl?" The spirit asked as he jumped over her head, as if the air was lighter than he was. She glance at him with her dark eyes, watching the dark skinned man hop and jump across the stone outcroppings of the river, treating them like a stone pathway. "Leas' ya can do is entertain a good ol' guy like me. Ain't proper ta be disrespectin' yer elders, ain't it? Didn't yer father teach ya nothin' better?"

Aphi scowled as she looked ahead again, determined to focus on anything _except_ that spirit. It was her father's words and teachings that told her to avoid the horrid spirit, or else he would annoy or tempt her to do acts she would not wish for. She had already donned the Number Two Headband, a poor enough act by itself. It would do her no good to take further action to put her further from her family's graces.

They were all that mattered to her. More than even herself.

"Shiiit, ya really are gonna stay mute till the fat ass crows, aren't cha?" And the spirit kept talking regardless. Aphi now wished for _Aki_ to speak. At least she could stand her sister's complaints more than this vile spirits retorts and inquires. She vowed never to ask Ami another question again, not if this is what it felt like. "Would'a answer a question if ah got ya the place ol' Afro is hol' up at?"

Aphi glared at him, but held the glare. She already knew where he was. He had told her several times upon their approach to this place, even more so through the desert. Aphi would not forget something as important as that so easily.

The man they were hunting was the previous holder of the Number Two Headband, and the spirit had been with him for some time. This… Afro Samurai. Aphi didn't like the name, so she would call him such.

He was just a vile samurai besmirching the name of her father's title. Nothing more though likely far less.

Even as the incline rose as they walk, the river shifting from a steady and constant stream to the roar of rapids, Aphi didn't hear a word from her siblings or father. They were all focused on what was coming, as was she. No matter what changed as they walked, no matter what the river or forest opened to show them, they remained mute.

Even when the river grew to a waterfall, even when the mist danced through the air. Even when the path turned to a slope, and even when the slope became a laddered climb, they all said nothing. She made no move to force them to speak. It wouldn't be her place to do so, not after she had created the situation herself.

For now, she could only do as her father would. Endure.

Endure as they left the laddered climb and back onto solid ground. Endure as her siblings walked past her, as well as the vile spirit cackling like a witch. Endure as she knew it mean the horrid samurai was nearby. Endure even longer, as the waterfall, though literally falling within her eye-sight sounded to be miles off from her.

Aphi could only stare at the bridge that hung before them.

Hanging across the river, creaking with water logged rope and rickety boards, Aphi watched the bridge as if it were the cross guard to a cemetery. She hated cemeteries. There was never anything to do or help with in a cemetery. It was only ever to hold still, to watch, and listen. And she needed to do things to be important.

Right now, watching the bridge, she knew the same thing was going to happen again. According to her father, according to the man she had _put_ in this situation, she was going to do nothing while he fixed her mess, her mistake, and it was all her fault. And she hated that.

"Don't know if I'd be trustin' my life on them planks," Ninja-Ninja spoke up from beside Aphi. She didn't look at him, even if it was obvious how far he was bending over just to 'fall' into her vision. "Lookin' like a wrong step on 'em boards will send ya fallin ta a sharp-point end. Maybe dat's tha' _point!_ Gahahaha!" His joke was not, shared, enjoyed, or spread by Aphi.

Her eyes, thin as the they were, were focused on her dad. He was staring out along the bridge, misted along the center and waving under the waves of air that fell from the waterfall. She watched him, as did her siblings, as he long beard waved with the wind and eyes narrowed as hers did. Aphi was focused on her father, but he was focused on the figure on the bridge.

She couldn't see it, he couldn't either, but he was definitely there. She could _feel_ him. And if she could, her father could.

"Well this sucks," Aki spoke, to Aphi's admittedly great relief. "Finally find the sick freak and he's hiding not only a couple hundred feat above a river, but in the freaking mist and on a rickety old bridge. Almost like he's afraid of you, dad." Her grin spoke of her confidence. It was one shared.

"It would be the only wise move on his part, if he was," Ashi agreed with Aki, making the more rambunctious of her siblings' chuckle at the unspoken praise. "This is not something father is likely to lose, but it is still a situation with risks involved."

"Indeed, it is," their father agreed. They watched him, silently, as he stared ahead. He didn't move for some time, and so Aphi did not either. There was nowhere for her to go until he told her of a place to be. Instead of speaking though, their father reached to behind his cloak.

From it, he grasped and produced the familiar staff he so often used in battle, elongating itself with a quick press of a button. In a moment, it was as long as he was tall, protruding five points at its end, spinning lightly at the other. Ami had made many modifications to it. Aphi knew, because she had helped her sister do so.

Increased the electrical conductivity of the points while making the diaphysis more electrically inert, protecting their father, allowing it to store charges, making it sturdier to blows at straight angles. They were all terms her sister had used, Aphi barely understood, but knew they would assist their father. So, she helped.

Right now, she didn't know how to help. So, she merely watched.

She watched as her father lowered her arm, lightly swinging the staff down, until he stood with arms at his sides and staring forward. That was only for a moment.

In the next, he was looking down at her, with eyes she did not deserve. Kind eyes.

She blinked up at them, the weight of the Number Two Headband she wore bearing down at on her as she looked up at him. His smile was kind, as it always was, gaze patient, the same as it always kept it. He was looking at her as if she had not done anything wrong. How could that be? She had made a horrible mistake like this!

"It is alright, Aphi," her father spoke, and she never believed he could, or would, lie to them until now. "You acted to aid, and you did as you wished. You have nothing to regret or fear." How did he know? How could he _say_ that?

After she had made him risk his life for her, because she had put on the headband as she did!

"I confess that I would have likely put on the Headband if you had not." Her eyes widened at the words, and she heard her siblings let out sighs and curses behind her. "Because you did as I would have done, I cannot be upset. Disappointed neither. You are acting as I would have, and I can find no fault in trying to emulate me when trying to help."

He knew. Of course, her father knew. He was her father, _their_ father. But…how did he know? Did Adi tell him? Did Ashi guess? Aphi just stared forward, silent, as he went on.

"When I return, and this samurai is no more, then we can dispose of this thing. Then we can talk, and set your mind at ease." His finger tapped her forehead, above the Number Two Headband, acting as it wasn't there. In truth, it didn't feel like it was, not to Aphi at least. Not while her father smiled at her as he did. "But take care of your sisters until I return. Can you do that?"

She nodded without hesitation or thought. That was something she had always done, and would continue to do, no matter what. He smiled in return, visible even through the thick of his dark mane.

"Good." He stood with the word, patting her shoulder as he did. His eyes went over her then, looking at her sisters. "The rest of you, be ready and prepared for anything. This man is vile enough to attack without patience. Do not offer him a chance to ambush you."

"Understood, father," Ashi replied as quickly as Aphi had nodded. She was sure Aki and Adi were doing the same, Ami and Ahi likely getting what little tools they could ready as well. Aphi swallowed hard on nothing to prepare herself.

Their father nodded once more, and only once, before turning away and towards the bridge. Aphi watched his cloak and hair billow in the wind, watching as he began to slowly walk forward towards the dilapidated boards, either heedless or careless of their state. He wouldn't be their dad if he did.

They did groan as he stepped on them, but he did not fetter or stop. He continued on. With the mist of the waterfall raining on him, with the gust of the rushing water passing him, he walked on. He walked on and through the mist, with his children, Aphi more than anyone else, trailing his form as it became blurrier and blurrier to sight.

Even when he was hardly an outline, she did not look away. Only when her sister spoke did she do so.

"You know, dad's always been like that." Adi spoke up as she approached Aphi's side. She turned to her sister, though the most studious of her siblings was staring ahead and watching their father. She spoke on regardless. "Always making sure we're okay and everyone's safe before scolding us. Can't think of a time he's ever just out right told us we were wrong before whatever we did wrong was fixed."

"You mean kinda like when you took that ancient book out of the library and had us chased by those robots?" Aki asked, the giggling amusement of Ahi. Adi sighed in exasperation first, though barely heard over the waterfall's roar.

"Yes, Aki, like that. _Or_ like the time you decided to play hop-scotch over the roof of the monk's home and ended up falling through and breaking two of their vases, freeing a curse and forcing us to fight them to the point of unconsciousness." Now it was Ami's turn to chuckle, and Aphi joined her at the memories.

"Neither of you should forget the time that you both pick-pocketed a couple of gang members in order to get enough money to buy some candy." Ashi spoke with bare any amusement in her voice, but the chortling laugher from Ami and Ahi was enough. Aphi grinned from the side.

"You got some messed up crazy kids, ya know that girl?" She ignored the spirit that spoke, the vile dark thing that he was. It was easy when he spoke of simple facts so incorrectly. "Laughin' bou' all that crazy town. Sure, ya aren't gonna goin' crazy 'n fight Afro soon?" Afro? Was that the name of the Samurai?

Maybe he had said it before, and Aphi realized he likely had over the week, but she hadn't paid attention, not fully. She cared more about where he was, not _who_ he was. Like right now, she cared more about her sisters than herself. That almost never changed.

"The _point_ I'm trying to make, Aphi, is that dad may be mad at you, but he isn't going to stay mad at you." Adi continued to speak, once she and their sisters began to control themselves. "Because he will fight, and he will win, but he wants to make sure we're all safe before he teaches us. That's just the kind of dad he is."

"The best kind." Aphi had no arguments for Aki's interjection. Neither did Adi.

_TWANG!_

The sound of clashing steel stole their attention in a moment. Aphi and her siblings, perhaps even the ninja as well, were staring across the rope bridge and into the mist. But she could hardly see a thing! It was all too dense, and the water too _loud_!

"Heh-Heh-Heh!" Ninja-Ninja still laughed. Aphi only paid him a glance, enough to see his wicked smile, before looking back out to e bridge. It didn't stop her from listening to his callous words. "Now this is wha' _Ah_ 'm talkin' 'bout!"

_BOOM!_

The mist blew away with the muted explosion.

Aphi felt droplets of water hit her face, the wind rush past her ears and hair, as the explosion tore from above the bridge. Her eyes squinted into it, arms raised to keep the worst of the air from beating at her skin. Knees were crouched to make sure she maintained her posture, noting, but not acting, on the cries of surprise that came from her siblings. Not Ashi, not her, but definitely the others.

She and her sister kept her eyes forward to the momentarily cleared air, to the full extent of the bridge they could see. Easily hundreds of meters long, dipping at the mid-point above the water far below, and carrying a pair of fighters that Aphi was desperate to watch.

Her father and the wicked samurai.

For that brief moment, Aphi saw the samurai, the man who looked so similar to the video Ami had produced. A head of hair that seemed to billow almost like a pillow, held up by a headband long enough to trail down the length of his back, flittering from the blow he had struck against her father. It allowed her to see his dark skin, his angry eyes, and his sure posture. But it was nothing, Aphi knew, her father hadn't seen before.

The next thing Aphi could track was the impact of the man's sword against her father's lance, striking at the center of it as her father held the vile man back. It rocked the bridge with the blow, sending more water and mist aside, as if the sword were a fan and her father the rock it beat against. The sparks of the metal danced through the air with the blow.

It was not the only one to fall, in quicker succession that Aphi could flex her own finger, the blade of the fake swordsman struck and swung at her father over and over again. From over the top of his head, swinging up wards at an arc, after rounding his body with a spin, stabbed forward in a thrust, twisted quickly with his wrists, and a hundred other positions she could hardly track. For sure she would have missed them if she had even blinked.

But her father was not her, and he did not miss a one.

Each blow hit against the staff that Ami and she had helped modify, the sharp steel sparking against the outer shell of the battle rod, flying sparks dancing through the air that moments ago housed floating droplets of water. The red remains of the clash fell and danced along the boards, falling over the bridge and across the ropes that held them up. But neither her father nor the man paid attention to them.

They were watching each other. Or, as Aphi noted her father doing, as he always did, he was studying the fake swordsman. He was learning of him as they fought. The same trick he always did.

He twisted the staff in his hands, bending it and pushing it, always just enough to catch the blade that swung, fell, or lifted towards him. Always enough to catch the man, but never more than that. Even with the absurdly fast strikes, even with the explosions of the blows still beating away the falling water of the waterfall and creating a storm of sparks, he only ever kept the man just at bay. It was how he always did.

Because he was only ever waiting for the moment to strike.

That moment came when the man attempted to stab forward again, still far faster than Aphi believed she'd be able to react to. Her father, however, let go of one side of his staff, letting his body spin to the side and out of reach of the blade. His body still spun when his fist swung out, the back hand of it smashing into the fake samurai with a blow to match the strikes of the blade.

From some distance away, it _sounded_ like it hurt. That was a good sign. Just as good that Aki and Adi cheered at the noise, even if they were meant to be quiet. She ignored whatever cruel words the spirit had, unimportant to her and her family. She only needed to watch her father for now, not the vile thing that had helped to start all of this.

The fighting, however, paused as the vile man tumbled back, sword raised in defense even as he attempted to correct his gaze. He leaned forward, allowing his evil gaze to focus on her father, to see the man who had bested him. The man who _would_ tear this evil from the world. But for a moment after that, he looked at her. No… he looked at her forehead.

He was looking at the Number Two Headband.

"Heh, busted bitch!" Aphi loathed Ninja-Ninja more than ever before.

The man, Afro, still didn't move towards them, but he held her gaze long enough for her to tell. And if she could tell, it was obvious her father could tell. There was nothing she could notice that he would not. And if he did… that meant that he would be distracted. That wasn't good, at all.

"HYAGH!" Her father yelled out, raising the spear skyward as he moved to lunge. The man twisted his blade to block the blow, sending out another explosion of air and sparks flying from the impact outward. Aphi crossed her arms over her face again, slitting them to allow them to watch her father. Watch as her father became the aggressor to the fake samurai.

His lance, longer than the blade of the swordsman, force Afro to dodge and backstep more than merely block. He didn't have the weight or strength to resist her father, nor did he have the room to push him off when he struck. He was forced to deflect the blows of her father, forcing his lance to swing wide, high, low, and all the while taking the openings to retreat, because he didn't have enough time to strike.

Her father struck out with more than the lance to ensure that was the case. When his lance was deflected left, he raised his fist right, striking out before the man could raise his blade. When his spear was pushed high, he kicked up, forcing the man to back step and flip away in defense. It was dancing battle, and one her father was controlling.

She watched with bated breath as the boards of the bridge groaned as the fight continued, pushing them further away from herself and her sisters. She fought the urge to run towards him, fought the urge to follow.

It was an instinct she almost lost to when the vile swordsman ducked and struck at the cords of the bridge.

"JUMP!" Ashi yelled before Aphi had time to take a breath. Whether by her suggestion or not, her dad di as asked.

Her father jumped into the air, right in the same time the rope on the far side gave way.

It was a harsh snap, one that nearly deafened the explosions of their impacts. Adi and Ahi let out yells of fright as the snapped cord shot back to them, Aphi moving out of the way, though the rope didn't even reach them. She only glanced at it. Her eyes were trained on the bridge, the vile swordsman, and her father.

The bridge had fallen down, sideways now and hanging by but a single taut rope. It groaned beneath the rush of the waterfall, the wind that it kicked up. Even more so when the vile man climbed his way onto the rope like a long thin bridge, effortlessly pulling himself up by one arm, blade still in hand. Aphi nearly hissed at the sight.

She held it in, and was thankful for it, when her father flipped behind him, falling from a much grander height, and with his spear struck forward.

"GAH!" The cry of pain that came from the man as her father landed behind him made a grin grow across her lips, one she was sure Ashi and Ami shared. Adi and Aki were cheering with Ahi.

"Damn, daddy's got moves on him," the spirit behind her spoke on. Aphi continued to pay him no mind. He was a far-off worry compared to the fight her father was in, one that was he was becoming ever closer to winning.

"Dad jumps good." Aphi nodded to Aki's words, even with the cheer evident in her voice. That was something they still didn't know how their father did. "Guess that makes this another one for the history books." Aphi was sure Adi was writing it down now, even as she cheered for their father.

The fake samurai, however, didn't fall from the blow. Even when their father spun the spear again, showing in the pocket of air in the mist the bloodied end of his lance, the fake samurai stood tall. With ragged breathing, a clutched blade, and the headband still taught across his forehead, he did not fall.

Instead, Aphi watched as he gripped at the front of his white shirt, gripping and tearing it from his chest with a single loud grunt. Avi would have whimpered at the callousness to which he tore and discarded the fabric, even if the fall down showed the blood that stained the back of it, cuts and all. The fall, however, was something else Aphi watched.

A fall that billowed into the mist that avoided the explosions of the fight, into the dark below of the river they had risen from. Far below and out of sight. To be struck once during this match was a death sentence, and the man was lucky to survive that much. Then again, their father hated to kill others.

This man had no such reservations.

"Hehe, this is gonna get good now," The vile voice spoke and Aphi continued to ignore him. Even as Afro charged once more.

The blows were fast before. They were sonic like now.

The explosions rippled through the air at a rate she could hardly fathom, nearly _watching_ the outwards thrusts of the pockets of air shoved by the blows, the water from the waterfall bowing more to the clashing steel than gravity itself. It was all matched by the harsh sway and give of the rope they stood on, whipping like the chains they used to train with.

Aphi watched them, watched the rope of the ladder, watched as her father fought against a man with a vile nature on a platform that threatened to kill him in equal measure. Her breath was caught in her throat, eyes transfixed as the steel of her father's lance and the fake samurai's blade continued to clash over and over again.

She had forgone keeping track of the blows from which they originated. She couldn't track them anymore. She could only watch everything else, noting it as her father had taught her.

How both her dad and the vile swordsman were not taking steps forward or back on the single roped bridge, how the waterfall itself was pushed back b the blows the two were dealing, how the lance that her father used was losing its shine the longer the battle went on for… it was horrifying to watch.

Any blow she saw could have been a lethal blow, yet they were being thrown out at a speed that matched any artillery they had seen before, and in numbers she doubted the automatic tools would be able to replicate. From a distance away, it could be mistaken for a clan of dozens fighting, not merely two men on a bridge.

Her father, loyal and strong. And Afro, vile and wicked.

"This is… insane," Aki whispered beside her, almost drowned out by the explosions that rocked the air. "W-Who's winning?" Father, obviously. It had to be, because there was no way he could lose. "It's dad, right?"

"Of course, it is," Ashi returned, with far more confidence that Aphi felt. "You can tell because-"

Her words were cut off as she saw something. Aphi saw it too. If she had blinked, or looked away, she would have missed. Instead, she saw everything.

She watched as Afro slammed his blade against her father's spear, hard. Hard enough to force their father to lean with the blow, holding up his hand, to prevent any strike from the mad samurai to reach him. It would have worked, if that were the objective.

Instead, the fake samurai took the chance to jump forward. He jumped forward and through the small opening his blow had created. His trailing blade did nothing to her father, nothing as his spear was held up to prevent it's pass from harming him. But that pass was not the objective.

The objective was the charge the mad man had towards her and her sisters. No… _the charge towards her_.

"Look' like he's gotta his eye on the prize!" The spirit cackled behind her. "Ain't it a hoot ta see Afro still rootin' and tootin it up!" Aphi had no such thoughts.

Her feet were back-pedaling as she tried to get away, an action that was matched by the panicked scream of her sisters around her. Ashi was yelling orders, Ahi and Adi yelling in fright. Ami was running already, Aki helping her… but they weren't going to be fast enough. The man was too fast, fast enough for their father. And he was coming for her. The look in his eyes, deep and dark, said it all.

He was going to kill her.

" _NO!_ " The yell came in tandem with two more horrifying sights.

Her father, lunging forward with the spikes of his lance out, aiming to take the man's life. And the vile swordsman, twisting once more, as he swung his blade out of the path of the lance.

The two weapons did not clash. They struck.

Father's lance dug deep into the abdomen of the fake samurai, piercing the dark skin and muscles, spraying blood and gore into the air, for the one moment Aphi could visibly see.

And the same man's blade, rising up, cut her father's arm in two.

They fell together, off the cliff, before she could find her voice.

" _NO!" "DAD!" "DAD!" "FATHER!"_

Her siblings screamed as they ran, ran to the edge of the cliff for a moment, and only a moment. That moment was swept away as they ran back towards the stairs, charging down their many flights before even checking on Aphi herself. She had no complaints. She had no words.

Aphi was still staring at the edge of the cliff, dumb as the rocks that were being crushed by the water far beneath. Her mind had to have been playing tricks on her, an illusion of the Headband she wore. That was it, that _had_ to be it. Adi had said they weren't well researched or studied!

There was no way what she saw was real, none.

There was no way she had seen her father lose and arm. There was no way she'd seen him fall. There was no way the battle had ended so abruptly. There was no way her father _wouldn't_ talk to her like he said he would.

There was _no way_ he would _lose!_

"Should-a told ya this was gonna happen'." For the first time, alone with the spirit, Aphi whirled to face him, eyes alight with an anger she doubted even the infernos of hell could match. The vile smile on the spirit made her _want_ to die, just for the chance to _tear it from his face!_ "Can't beat a Headband holder 'less ya got one. Fact is, yer daddy was screwed from step two. Care ta guess what was step one?"

And just like that, her anger fled. Her anger fled for horror, matched by her dropped jaw and dawning realization. The cruel smile on the man did nothing to aid her spirit's silent plight. Nor her soul's fall.

"Guess ya do, seein' as you'd be the only one whos's supposed ta be up there 'n all. Buuuut, guess it'd be easier ta let yer sugar pappy take care of yer problems, huh? Hehehehehe!" The laughter burned into her. It burned her words than the tears that fell from her eyes.

A hot trail that felt heavier than all the torrents that fell from the waterfall beside her, and burning through her skin with the heat of the rage she had lost. It was all fleeing her, all falling down, cascading out of her.

It was her fault. All her fault.

Aphi did follow her sisters down the path.

She jumped.

She jumped faster than she believed the blows her father struck with _before he was disarmed_.

She fell with a speed she knew her father would worry for, _if he were still alive to cry in terror_.

She saw the water rapidly approaching at a rate would make her sisters cry, _if they weren't already screaming in horror_.

_SPLASH!_

The cool water, and harsh landing, did nothing for the mounting terror and pain that Aphi felt ripping through her soul, the silent cry she wanted to unleash. _Nothing_! Even as he felt the harsh rocks at the bottom tear at her skin, even as she knew that she would be facing bruises and scrapes along with the water's impact, she didn't care, she _couldn't_ care. Not when her father had undergone so much _worse!_

Aphi had to push herself to reach the surface, her equilibrium shot and sense of self gone She rose to hear more of her guilt tearing through the air.

" _DAD! DAD STAY WITH US!"_ The sound of Ami's voice was loud and terrifying, far louder than Aphi had ever heard it before. It was more chilling than the water. "J-Just… J-JUST HOLD ON!" She shook with the words.

As Aphi breached the surface, her voice was held away as she crashed into a protruding boulder at the rivers mouth. Even as it tore at her skin, scaring her arm, and making her already numb limbs feel detached, she didn't make a sound. She only pulled herself onto it, looking desperately for her siblings, that and nothing else.

She found them, and she loathed at what she saw.

" _DADDY! WAKE UP!" "DON'T GIVE UP ON US!"_

Ashi, Ami, Adi, Ahi, and Aki, all huddled around their father, pulled and beached on the side of the river. Wearing all his armor, eyes shut and unmoving. Only a single arm on his body.

_His other arm being held by Aki_.

Aphi stared at it, unable to push air in or out of her chest at the sight. It was too much, too much. And it was her fault, _all her fault! ONLY HER FAULT!_ She did this, and only her. It didn't matter that the damnable samurai had struck the blow, or anything else. She had put on the only means to kill him, she had taken that from her father, and she had _damned_ him for it! She… SHE-

She looked down to see the vile man floating in the river.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him, unmoving and still on the water's surface. She had to blink to make sure it was him, him and the dark eyes that stared back at her. The Number One Headband was still wrapped tightly about his head, the lance of her father protruding from his stomach. They were both still there. They were all that was there of the man.

His fighting spirit was gone, his ability to fight perhaps with it. All Aphi could see now was the coldness of his eyes that he had shared with everyone else he had come across, including her father. All of the rage he had, Aphi felt inside of her in that moment.

The same moment she saw the blade he had used to disarm her dad, to _harm_ her family. It was laying on a rock, sticking out from it like her father's lance was the gut of the dark-skinned and evil man. It was beckoning her to take it, to end it, just as the body that which she could kill had floated in front of her.

She was given the means and opportunity, in the center of a river and with the horrible man looking at him without the ability to fight back. And she, the daughter of Samurai Jack, staring at him with a hatred she thought gone from her heart.

Aphi had believed that in moments of weakness, she would go with her father's words, to let go of her anger and let the man who did evil learn of his evil ways. She believed she would do as he asked, as he had taught, as she had done everything else.

But she had already failed to help him. It only made sense she broke a promise to avenge him.

_SHINK!_

The blade was pulled from the stone and into her grip faster than she believed possible, ignoring the weight of the heavy steel as it hung from her arm. It was nothing compared to the torment within her mind. Nothing at all compared to the weight of her decision's consequences.

"You really gonna do it, gal?" Aphi did not look towards the spirit that spoke. She knew he would follow. She didn't care that he did. "Gotta say I've gotta soft spot fer the big guy, yeah, but you'd best be think' hard fer ya throw that blade in 'em. You don't wanna be like him, do ya?" No, no she did not. That would be a horrible decision.

But she had made a bad choice those weeks ago. It was only right she redeem it now with one more poor choice.

Aphi lifted the blade above her head, staring into the dead eyes of the man who had nearly killed her father, _nearly_ done so. He hadn't succeeded. He hadn't won, but he had come too close to let live any longer. Water dripped from her clothes, clung to her skin, and made her skin feel numb. Numb as cold as the steel she held.

_SHINK!_

And the same as her soul as she drove the blade through Afro's chest.

Blood spat up from the wound, missing her and falling back to the water the man swam in. His voice gurgled once upon the impact, blood slipping from his lips at the affect. Pained eyes, numb and dead, looked back at her, stared at her, as she held the hilt of the blade that tore into him. Aphi didn't regret it.

"DAMN giiirl, ya really are one heeby-jeebin mess, ain't ya?" Aphi didn't regret it, even as the spirit mocked her. "Ol' Afro an' I was fightin' partners fer longa than you've been breathin this sweet-sweet air, and ya cut him up like a freakin' steak!" Aphi regretted nothing. She didn't regret it.

Even as she reached down to his head, careless of the eyes that stared at her, she didn't regret it. Even as she wrapped her fingers around the Headband that clung to his fore head, she didn't regret it. Aphi only regretted what she did weeks ago, nothing now.

She had no regrets that she now held the Number One Headband, over the corpse of the man who so nearly killed her family.

Aphi watched Afro, for only a moment longer. A moment long enough to ensure what she saw was real.

She watched the dark eyes of the man who had so violently harmed her father, who had torn through a village without regret, who had been far stronger than anyone else her father had ever faced, and was carried no longer by a Headband that was responsible for it all. She watched him, stared at him, as he floating in the stream of the river.

She watched as he sunk beneath the growing rapids, the steel of her father's lance and his own blade still embedded within him.

When he had sunk, when he had truly disappeared from the world, her eyes fell back to the Number One Headband in her grasp, feeling the weight of the one on her head, and knowing what this meant.

"Heh, decision time, girl!" If the headband were magic, she'd wish for the spirit's death.

For now, she had to do something else.

* * *

Ashi had been with her father for nearly five years now. Five years since he saved her and her sisters from the red mountain. Five years since he had done more for her than she believed was possible in all of life. He had done so much for her, and shown her just as much.

Shown her the endless oceans and deserts that lay beyond the lifeless mountains. He showed her the brilliant days that cycled with beautiful nights, never like the eternally dark mountains. He had even shown her and her sisters how to live for yourself, while protecting others. The way he had done for her and her siblings since they ventured forth from the mountain five years ago. Five years, so many long years ago.

And never in all of that time did she fear being around her father. She never feared for him. He was the one to fight the evils of the world away. He was the one who was able to beat back the horrid monsters of a future he always called dark, even while he only showed them the light.

Bandits and killers ran from him. Rampant monsters ran from him. Terrorists and executioners ran from him. Aku's minions ran from him.

Her father never ran. Samurai Jack never lost.

Until she saw him bleeding in the river's mouth of a waterfall, his arm caught by Adi before it could drift down the stream.

They stood next to the bottom of a waterfall, but Ashi could hear nothing.

Nothing but a muted ring and screams of her sisters. She could not swear whether or not she was among them. The sight she was witnessing was too impossible to discount any other claim. If her father could lose, if her father _had_ lost, anything was possible. Even if that was impossible, even if five years and the testimony of thousands had stood in its way, Ashi could not blink nor tear her widened gaze away from the proof.

She could not ignore the body of her father, floating lifeless upon the river's surface. She could not ignore the severed arm Adi held. She could not ignore the wailing of her siblings. She could not ignore Ami's desperate attempt to stem the bleeding of his _stump_. She could ignore none of it.

So, she had to act upon it.

"A-Ami," she began, but tripped over her sister's name. She did not turn. "AMI!" Now she did, shaking with arms still grasped around the cylindrical tool she had deployed. Aphi only glanced over its clear plastic cup. "W-What are you doing?" No! That wasn't right! She needed to _act_ not _question_. She needed to be her _father_.

"I-I'm att-t-t-temping to stem… _stem_ the flow of blood!" She began, then screamed, as she finished. When her eyes turned back to their father's arm, what remained of it, her mind was focused on nothing else. "If I can prevent further blood lose w-without cauterization then… then maybe a… a _surgeon_ could reattach the limb or… or _something!_ " It was better than nothing, and Ashi would not question Ami's inventions.

"Right… right," she began nodding. Her eyes flickered to her others sisters, to Adi, to Aki, to Ahi, to _Aphi_. "Aki! Help Ami! Get… Ger her anything she needs out of her bag or… or help her keep dad alive!"

"Y- _YEAH!_ " It spoke volumes that she did not argue or make a spiteful remark. It was still a dull muted sounded next to the shank of the blade that had severed their father's arm, and nearly his life. Nearly, not there. Their father was _alive_. He was _alive!_ So, they had to _keep_ him alive.

"Adi! See if Ami has anything to keep father's… father's arm preserved." It was a disgusting sentence to say, but she forced her mouth to speak it regardless. "Wrap it, keep it clean, and… and ensure that _nothing_ else happens to it." Adi looked about for only a moment, eyes staring at the hand she clearly couldn't decide if she wanted to drop and scream at or hold closer than her most beloved book.

But she was her sisters, their father's daughter, and weakness had no place at times like this.

"Right, yeah," her voice let out, already nearly hoarse from yelling. Ahi was just behind her, searching through their satchels, Ami's and Adi's own, for anything they could use. Neither sisters spoke a word of disagreement. They only searched so far before Ami yelled to them, even as she was covered in the blood of their father still seeping from his unconscious body.

"My bottom pack holster!" She yelled to them, pointing at the pack that was discarded and throw by the edge of the river's mouth. "You need to keep the limb cool! Preserve _any_ blood within it, turn the… turn the fingers towards gravity to prevent loss of fluids! Do _not_ cauterize the wound!" Ashi trusted Ami to know what she was talking about, even as she moved her bob-cut hair away with a swipe of her bloody hand.

They were all focused on the same task. Self-disgust or loathing had no place here at the moment.

Ashi was sure of that, until she turned to _Aphi,_ and she felt her love for her sister slip.

"Aphi," she nearly growled her sister's name. She turned to her, eyes shaking and waving nearly to the degree of the _headband_ she wore. As much as the _accursed headband_ she carried. Ashi cared nothing for the piece of fabric, despite the cries that Adi spoke of.

She was content to know that the accursed holder of the object, the man whom tried to kill their father, and themselves, was now nothing more than a mess of meaty chunks to be swallowed by hungry fish down the river's length. Nothing more than a memory she would bury and let die.

Bury either in the deepest gorge or forced under the raging river, much like the oddly haired swordsman's blade. To be swallowed, lost, and forgotten. That was what she would do to the memory of the _vile_ man whom had harmed their father.

It was the very thing she would _not_ let happen to their father.

"Aphi, _you_ will carry both of those _accursed_ headbands." She spoke evenly as her finger pointed at the long pieces of fabric. Aphi didn't look at them, not at first. She looked up and behind Ashi, eyes trailing at something else.

Ashi felt her lips snarl, knowing it was that _spirit_ that had likely led their _father_ to his near demise. The very one that Aphi was _still_ listening to. Ashi was once sure of all her sister's talents and skills, the crafts they had dedicated themselves to in an effort to learn of the world, to enjoy the things they could not whilst they were still prisoners inside the red mountain.

She was sure at those times that Aphi was focused, diligent, sure of her decisions as long as they were commanded by another she trusted. Clearly, Ashi had lacked the foreknowledge to judge her sister's ability to trust. For trusting the _demon_ that likely took up the useless slash was something only the most untrained and unintelligent of fools would do.

And her sister was continuing to do it.

" _APHI!_ " She finally yelled, making her sister's head whip back to her. She didn't care if their other siblings glanced at them. They cared about father, too. They would _not_ ignore him for this. " _Listen_ to me. Father is _dying_ , and unless we do something, he _will_ perish."

She could hear Adi and Ahi whimper behind her, even as they worked through satchels, working to preserve their father's _arm_ , working to help make sure he stayed alive and didn't _lose_ a part of his body. That would be beyond any of her current nightmares.

She didn't need to think long to know that must have been the same for her siblings. They all had tasks that they could do, things that could be done and they _knew_ how to do either because they had done it before or they had trained on it.

Aphi, however, Aphi was different. Ashi needed to think like her father before she spoke again. She needed to concentrate like her father would before a fight, _not_ like the last fight. She needed to think as he would, so that she wouldn't make a mistake.

Ashi needed to think about Aphi's dedication to their family, her loyalty, her strength, her focus… and the tools she had. She only had one tool that none of their sisters had, even if Ashi hated it no more than she did the blade that cut her father's arm.

"Aphi," Ashi began again. She waited until her dual-horn haired sister looked at her, even as that _cursed_ headband waved in the beneath her hair. "That… headband of yours told you where to find that _man_ , correct?" She already knew, but she needed Aphi's answer. Her father would not assume, and neither would she.

Her sister nodded, focusing on her, and just her. Not whatever _spirit_ that was so likely to possess her, just as Adi predicted. The idea made her snarl. She did not mind that it was something only Aphi could see.

"Then ask this spirit, that supposedly knows so well where things are, if we can find someone or something nearby to give father aid." Aphi's mouth opened and closed at the command, not sure what it meant, likely. "See if he knows of any doctor that may be able to assist, a medical facility that could possibly, or… if there are any other headband users we may be able to bargain with for aid."

The last suggestion left her mouth before even she realized the enormity of the words, but the idea had great weight and merit to it. The water was still splashing behind them as their sisters worked, but Aphi was looking at her incredulously, even as she continued to wear that vile headband, holding the equally cursed object in her hands.

"Adi said that the headband wielders were looking for the Number One, that article that you are holding," her finger pointed to the long fabric that waved in the wind. She was certain not even Avi would care to gaze on such a vile and contemptuous thing. Their father was right to be wary of it. "Perhaps if one of them has medical knowledge, some way of being able to… restore limbs, we make be able to bargain the fabric with them."

"Wait, would that work?!" Aki's disbelieving yell came from behind Ashi. She glanced over to see the most unkempt of her siblings holding their father, up, supporting him as Ami wrapped some clear tubing about his arm. It was frosted over, but Ashi noted little more than that, focusing on Aki instead. "These guys were _freaking crazy_ enough to just jump dad and you'd think they'd just up and help?!"

"If we offer them the prize they so desperately want for a trade of something other than their life, perhaps they can." Ashi was sure with her words, though she did not dedicate all her hopes to the singular plan. It was one of many, just as there was never just one plan in combat. Adaption was critical, but scouting was vital. "They may not all be as… blood thirsty as that terrible man. They may be willing to attempt miracles if it meant gaining some grand object without risking their own life."

"But… that could work?" Aki asked again. Ashi forgave her, sure it was the idea of holding their father's unmoving and, unnervingly, perhaps _cooling_ body, that made her repetitive. Ashi felt like screaming herself.

"I-It might work, maybe, could?" Adi spoke as well, even as she stood on the shore line with Ahi. They were wrapping up their father's arm in a bag Ashi recognized, but only from Ami's musings.

It was supposed to be for Ahi, for her and storing her food supply should they need to travel far distances without means to cool their food. Some sort of liquid freezing compartment, large enough to… hold their father's arm. IT was certainly far from what the original purpose was, but that was no important. The idea of it working at all was.

"Just… I-It's jus that these guys are _possessed_ by spirits a-a-and I don't mean like _not_ themselves!" Now she was screaming, even as she pulled the cord on the bag holding their father's arm. Ashi kept her eyes off of it, unnerved as Ahi and Adi who operated the device. "I don't know! The stories and legends never said _anything_ about _trading_ the headbands. It was only ever _fighting!_ "

"We are _fighting_ for father's life now as well," Ashi continued on. "And if they have the abilities but _refuse_ unless duel them, then I will fight and _defeat_ them so that they will help father!" There was no room for discussion on such a front.

Even if it risked her life, she would take that action to save their father.

"Not alone you wouldn't!" Aki yelled back. Ashi was unsurprised, but thankful. "But… i-is that our only plan? I don't think's dumb but… we've gotta think of something else, right?" At least she was aware their father never thought linearly.

"We need coolant, too." Ahi spoke now. Ashi looked at her, her hair almost as unkempt as Aki's. Frazzled or unnerved didn't cover it. "This… this is only supposed to keep objects cold for… I don't know, not long. So… if we want to make sure dad keep's his arm then… we have to find more." Ashi was not surprised Ahi knew that. Ami was very careful with the instructions to her inventions.

"She's right." Ami held a device Ashi did _not_ recognize now, watching it as the odd tubular and clear contraption of their father's arm expanded and contracted, the blood flowing from his arm pooling, but not growing. She assumed its function to be continuing circulation. "Because the… because _father's_ arm is not bled or _prepared_ , it will contaminate the cooling liquid and make the system over heat quickly, resulting in failure of the pump and system unless it is cleaned or replaced." No one, not even Ashi commented on her pause.

"The cold temperature means the liquid will move slower and prevent _most_ of the blood to remain in its environment," Ahi spoke on, her knowledge of cooking and cleaning game speaking as she did. She spoke as Ami now, focused on her task, _ignoring_ why they were doing it. Ashi could not do the same. "But because the wound is _open_ , there will be some liquid seep still. Even cooled and chilled it can still go… _father_ can still _lose_ his arm."

"Great, so we're on _two_ clocks then," Aki grumbled, even as she adjusted father's _stump_ to help Ami wrap another cord around it. She didn't question the reason and neither did Ashi. No one did. "We have to find a doc for dad to get his arm back _and_ we have to do it before any other _crazies_ come hunting for those _stupid_ headbands!

Ashi's eyes widened.

She had completely forgotten about that.

Her head whirled back to Aphi, already seeing her sister staring away from them all. She watched as her sister's head bounced between different rocks that stuck up from the river's bottom, watching as the spirit, likely, bounced between them. Ashi was torn between thankfulness and regret for not seeing the _vile_ creature, a thing doubtlessly as, if not more, disgusting that the man who had attempted to kill their father.

He would help though, as Aphi would want to help their father. If he didn't, they would tear up the headbands by any means they could find, be it through an enchanted object Adi may have knowledge of or through the digestion of a monster Ahi knew the whereabouts to. It would be destroyed. If it helped, however, it would merely be locked away for eternity. Life alone or death eternal, it could choose.

When Aphi focused back on Ashi, she didn't turn from her sister's eyes, focusing on them to ignore the headband that still waved above her head. She was glad did, for she saw the regret in Aphi's gaze. The regret, the guilt, and the determination.

Her hard nod was an obvious answer in meaning. Ashi grinned.

"He does know of one." She spoke it as a fact. Their siblings behind them nearly cried out in joy, even as they continued to work. "And he's willing to show us the way?" Another nod, this time with Aphi crimpling the fabric of the Number 1 headband in her hands. Ashi imagined that ringing it may hurt whatever spirit also lied in the material. It was a dream she could have later.

Action was required now.

"Then we'll do that, unless we come up with a superior plan on the way." Travel meant a lack of committing until a destination was reached. They would move in one direction unless they heard of a better place in another. "Ami, Aki, get father out of the river once his arm is… okay." She wasn't sure that was the right word for it. But her sisters would know the meaning, hopefully.

"Already on the way, sis," Aki spoke. Ashi turned back to see her carrying father on her back, holding his stump up with her hand and his still thankfully undamaged limb around her shoulder for support. Ami carried his legs, keeping them from scraping at any sharp rocks that may have hung to the bottom of the river. Any more damage was unacceptable.

"We need to keep father stabilized, so hold his arm elevated above his heart," Ami spoke as she and Aki carried him to the shore of the river show, Aki holding his stump high as Ami instructed. "It will prevent further blood loss, preferably keep majority of the blood in plane with his heart so minimal muscular strength is needed to move it. If he remains parallel to the plane of gravity, his heart will work harder to move it, keeping him unconscious longer. We need to carry him by another means, preferably one that allows for him to lie unobstructed. Bent knees may be allowed." Ashi understood enough. So, did Aki.

"We're carrying him on a stretcher or something, got it. Just say that next time." Despite her sharp tone, Aki understood Ami's words. She was never dull in the head, merely slow to grasp new ideas. A gurney was not one. "We just… gotta make that up really quick. Like with some wood and twigs, right?"

"You, Aphi, and I can find them," Ashi instructed as she walked over. It was difficult for her to keep her gaze on her father, even as they spoke of him and his health. Because the closer she came, the more of him she saw.

The short breath through his mop of a beard. His shut eyes, lulled closed in pain. His stump of an arm still hanging at his side, held up by not his own strength. So near death, so close to dying.

_Dying. Dying. Alone_.

Ashi grit her teeth until she heard her jaw crack.

"We'll do it with haste, cutting down low limbs. The straighter the better, and make them thin for lighter weight." Aki nodded again, not willing to make jokes at a time like this. Ashi was appreciative. "Adi, Ahi, help Ami keep father stabilized and his arm… and keep his arm from _spoiling_ the coolant too quickly."

In truth, she didn't know if she chose the right words, or if that was even possible. But having them neglect _anything_ at the moment would be detrimental to their father. That was _not_ to happen. By any means or any mistake.

Ashi turned back to her sister in the river, she saw that she had not moved. She was the only one of the six still standing in the river, watching the spirit, likely, as he danced between rocks. It matched the movement of her head at least.

"Aphi!" Ashi called to her sister. She earned only a glance. "Aphi! We cannot delay!" If shouting would be necessary, so be it! She at least got her sister to glare at her.

Ashi found herself returning the look with a snarl when she saw her sister shake her head. There needed not a moment of thought to know how _disgusting that_ action was. It certainly helped she was not the only one to witness it.

"Aphi! The _hell_ are you doing?!" Aki yelled. Ashi was thankful the most boisterous of their group was on her side. "This is _not_ the freaking time to have a panic attack or second thoughts! We gotta go _now_!" It certainly helped that her sister was already standing by the woods.

"We're already risking dad the longer we take!" Ahi joined in. "If you're bothered by something, _please_ tell us while we _work!_ We have to go!" And that was the truth.

They all had to move. If they wanted to save their father, none of them could delay. Any one of them taking longer than needed dragged them all down, and put their father in jeopardy. This was not the time to start an argument, a conversation, or a discussion. It was a time for action. And Aphi was wasting it!

She was still shaking her head.

"For the _last time Aphi!_ " Ashi yelled again, stepping back into the water, as if to threaten to pull her from the river. IF she needed to, she would, and she would let the rest of their sibling's _harp_ on her for the remainder of their trip to save their father. But they _would not be delayed!_ "The _longer_ you take the _shorter_ time father has left! We have to _leave! NOW!"_

Ashi stomped her foot into the water, making a ripple that hardly compared to the roar of the falling water beside them, at the foot of the waterfall. But her strength, though inconsequential to their father, was not to be taken lightly amongst their siblings. She was the strongest, the most diligent with her training, her skill, her attitude.

And Aphi was threatening to be on the receiving end of it all.

Even more so as she still helps up her head only to shake it, limbs almost shaking as well. Be it the cold of the water or the fear of Ashi's wrath, said sister did not care. She was going to have to drag their quiet sibling from the water now, like a petulant _child!_ Foam nearly fell from her mouth in her rage.

She did not have the luxury to whine herself. Not when action was needed. Her feet splashed the water as she stepped into it, already reeling her fists to deliver savage blows to the child that apparently cared _so little_ about their shared father! How was that even possible?!

Ashi snarled the closer she came, even as she held up her hand. Even as she showed them the long-cursed fabric she held, the very thing that the equally vile man held. The Number One headband, still shown in her tight fists, shaking with even a snarl and… and… oh…

Ashi focused on the alabaster fabric that swayed in the wind, forced up by the rushing falls, blown away by the torrential and continuous fall. She watched as Aphi's gaze fell to it, looking at it against the water she stood in. Then back to them, standing across from her, separated from them. Separated not by anything they couldn't overcome, but by what so many in the world noted as a border, by instinct alone.

An instinct that drove, that commanded, that made for decisions by both the hunter and the prey. Knowing what they each were thinking, then deciding upon the rules set forth. Ashi did as she was always taught by their father. She did not realize Aphi was doing the same.

She realized it only after she saw the harsh tears staining the corners of her sister's gaze… as her dark thin eyes looked at their dad.

"Aphi…" Ashi spoke her sister's name, all rage washed away in the river she stood. "You… You don't have to do this…"

"Do what?! What is she doin'?!" Aki yelled from the shore. Ashi hope she was the only one who didn't understand.

"Aphi's… Aphi's going to leave us." Ashi was incorrect. She was _angered_ that another did.

"WHAT?! Why the _hell?!"_ Aki kept yelling. No fault was lain on her. Not now. "This is like the _exact last time_ we should _EVER_ be thinking of something so _stupid!_ "

"She's not doing because she wants to," Ashi spoke now. She could tell her sister's desire across from her, doubtlessly focusing on her even as the spirit of the damnable headband danced around her, invisible to the rest of them. "She must so that no others trace the headbands… as we were able trace the horrible man."

"Those are like the _only_ things we have to bargain for helpin' dad! We _need_ those and we _sure as hell_ need Aphi!" It was almost pleasant to hear Aki swear by their sister even in such a trying time. Even when their father was broken and fallen, and they were struggling to pick up the pieces. Almost worth, but not even close. Not fully.

"It won't work." Adi's words were harsh and cruel, though full of self-directed spite. "Their… their _corruptive_. Even if we _do_ trade them… it won't work. They'll jus take over whoever wanted to help us. Probably without even time to help dad!" The sorrow began to overtake her rage.

Ashi was no different. Her own anger having drowned thoroughly as soon as Aphi's idea came to her.

Aphi who held up her hand, the only one to release the Number One headband. Ashi watched as she circled it around, drawing a large path that went behind her, stopping when her arm was fully extended. She watched as it opened, dropping nothing, before slowly guiding back. When it did, it came to point at them all, with only the faintest of smiles at her lips. It was only noticeable to Ashi, while the others were only watching her now tear-stained face.

"She's leaving to dispose of the headbands," Ashi continued. A bit of hope in her own voice, though not nearly enough. "Then she'll come back to us. It's not like Avi. She's… She's just trying to keep us safe."

"We can do that crap _together LATER!_ " Aki continued to yell. Ashi was sure Ahi and Ami were either too overcome by their own emotions or too dedicated to their tasks to speak. " _Seriously!_ We've gotta have done this like a dozen times with dad! It's not different now!"

"It is," Ashi argued back, somberly. "Because dad isn't here to help."

The harsh truth roared louder than the waterfall next to them, overtaking the emotions that they held. Ashi knew the importance of Aphi's decision. She knew why it was coming to pass. She knew why her sister was thinking this way.

Because their father had done much the same.

Perhaps hundreds of times before he saved them, maybe more. He had taken on dangerous tasks to leave others to safety. Endured perilous journeys through foreign lands for the aid of others. Leaving behind loyal companions, from the Scots to the Atlanteans, all so that they would be safe.

Now she was doing the same for them, for him. She was taking the objects that promised so much destruction just by existing, and she was going to return only when they were either lost or disposed. IT was just as their father would do, and just as Ashi would have done.

But she was taking the place of their father to lead. Aphi would take his place to confront the danger.

"Father always came back alright," Ashi began to speak, she knew not from where. "No matter who he helped, he always returned to show that he was okay. It was never long either. Never more than a month's time." She swallowed on nothing. Aki yelled nothing behind her. "So, you must do the same. Even if you think it impossible."

Aphi nodded, firmly and sure. She was good at following directions, especially those who she knew were smarter than her. Ashi, even if not by direct age, was her elder sister. She was the one who listened to their father and emulated him while the others learned their own crafts, made their own talents. So, she would be the one Aphi listened to.

Ashi was sure this self-hatred she felt now was no different than how their father felt when Avi left. But she would not endure it.

Aphi would return, no matter what.

"Be safe and… come back before father wakes up." That may be an impossibility.

There was only a nod of assurance before Aphi turned. She did not even wave goodbye or speak promises of her return. She did, ironically, what their father was so well at doing.

Leaving quickly, with only the promise of an equally expedient return.

Ashi watched Aphi run, run _away_ from them. In a direction she would lose track of in an hour's time.

She watched Aphi run away with the headbands in her arms, away from them, away from their father, and never once looking back.

It was the second time Ashi had seen one of her sisters being to travel separate from them. She loathed as much now as she did before. She hated it as _nearly_ as much as she hated the state her father was in or the man who had done it to him. But her feelings of hatred could wait.

Their father could not.

"Let's hurry." Ashi spoke quickly. "We can't delay." None of her siblings spoke as they set to work. They understood how important this was, even if they hated it as much as they did. They had seen much spite and disappointment on their journey these last five years, five years that each day began and ended with their father loving and praising them. It was the first time Ashi truly understood why her father called this a dark future.

Because such as this could still come to pass.

"Stay safe, Aphi."

* * *

It had been one week since then.

One week since Aphi had run from her sisters, from her father, from her _family_ carrying the cursed items across her sleeves and head. The waved in the long wind, drawn and blown from the ocean she walked besides, letting it bat against her without recompense. There was no storm she could see along the far horizon, only billowy clouds that drifted across the blue skies, stretching out farther than her eyes could see.

The sand at her feet pushed and gave under her weight, light as she knew she was. Light enough to land and jump on the larger Lilli pads of some lakes, but a moment too long on a sandy chore buried her to her ankles. She could feel the harsh grains already slipping into her boot, a feeling that grated at her frayed nerves.

Nerves that Aphi knew were being slowly torn apart the longer she was from her family, the more she was kept from them by both her rash decisions and inaction. It was her fault that she was in this state, and she loathed it with every step. She hated it more with each passing night.

She hated that she couldn't hear Aki joke about what she wanted to do as a prank in the morning. she hated that she couldn't hear Ahi discussing and preparing a meal for them to have over a campfire. She hated that she couldn't assist Adi with carrying her bags whilst she read a new novel. She hated that she couldn't spare with Ashi following the instructions from their father. She hated that she didn't have Ami to help her out, as she would her. That she couldn't turn to listen to Ami mumble about a new invention for assisting them, and then use it to help Aphi when they slept.

She hated that she missed it all. But what she loathed the most was what she had done before she left. What Aphi's decision had done to the one man she should have never wished harm and invited chaos to, never willingly. And yet, she ran from him when he was beaten in a way she was confident neither she or any of her sisters had ever seen before. Torn apart into a bloody mess and nearly washed away with the river.

Her father, her beloved caretaker, was last seen as she ran away. She'd always remember him now as a bloody and bisected corpse along the river's mouth, her sisters aiding him while she ran.

Aphi's jaw shook as she sighed, unable to push away the memories and images. Not when the only other sight to blind her or sound to deafen her was the calmness of the waves and their lapping strokes. She was sure her father would have reminded them of a tale of it, had they walked by it together. She could almost imagine what he'd say.

' _The waves often hide many secrets even in this world where nothing is sacred._ ' He would speak after putting his hand on her head, lightly combing her hair as he kept his gaze sideways. She would follow it, and stare out to see what had him so enthralled. ' _Thrice I believe I found grand designs upon the ocean's floor. Civilizations both in the midst of thriving, or ruins slowly falling. They are both captivating to watch… and slow to forget._ '

Aphi would understand why. She would understand even if Ami… no, Adi would ask questions about the places he'd seen. Like she had with the Atlanteans before. Maybe he'd say something else.

' _There was a civilization that housed great machines under the water, to keep them from the prying eyes of the sky, and guard them under the heaviest of safes.'_ Aphi knew he'd say that, because he said that the ocean was heavy enough at the bottom to tear the clothes and skin apart. ' _And from those vaults came mighty warriors of steel, to protect against monolithic beasts of Aku's design. I am sure they are still there, waiting for when they will be needed again._ '

Aphi knew it sounded silly to her, at least a little, but when they had seen mirrors capable of transporting worlds, great and vast temples that housed the souls of the long deceased, and spaceships that were older than even her father buried far beneath the land, a few robots were not something she would be surprised by.

No, especially not when she was wearing a cursed object herself, even as she carried another. Her finger rose and rolled under the alabaster fabric, feeling it lift and fall upon her skin. The cool air of the ocean tickled her, but she preferred it to the harsh, almost cruel, warmth of the headbands. Maybe if she had told her father why she put them on… this wouldn't have happened.

Maybe if she had talked… a lot would be different. Her arm fell, taking the imagery of her family with it.

It left her alone on the beach, staring out at the ocean, wondering how her family was doing. Her sister, her father, and everyone else her callous actions had put in jeopardy. She hated that she was here, but she deserved it.

She didn't like to talk, ever. She hated it. She sounded too much like her sisters, but without the intelligence of Ami, Adi, or Ahi, the dedication like Ashi or Avi, or even the attitude of Aki. She was just… Aphi, the second strongest of her sisters, always willing to help when they needed it, and nothing more.

And now, because she tried to act alone as her sisters so often did, and so often succeeded, she was alone in the world her father loathed, without the family that she had grown with all her life. No one to help her cook, to read, to learn, to right, nothing. Just her, and her alone.

She had promised to protect her sister, no matter what. And that meant staying away from them so long as she held these accursed objects with her.

"Heh, guess this is 'nother crazy day ta be walkin' lone, ain't its gal?" The damnable voice spoke behind her.

There was a correction to be made, as Ami would say. It was Aphi as well as a cursed spirit that continued to torment her.

The same spirit that walked behind her, far taller than her, and with hands casually threaded into his pants. She entertained the ideas of how real they were, as real as him. He was real enough to be able to influence her, show her things she didn't see, and guide her away from danger, but always with a tone and note that she loathed to hear.

There was no compassion or understanding in his voice, like her father. There was no casual acceptance or even mild acceptance. There was only ever one tone that came from this 'Ninja-Ninja', and that was mocking. Mocking her for all that she was, and all that she did.

"Hey now, don't ya goin start ignorin' me gally. I'mma the only friend yer gonna have fer some time, ain't I? Not like ya can go runnin' back ta the res of them chicks and half a man back there." His laughter was proof enough that he deserved nothing but Aphi's absolute most loathing emotion. He deserved nothing but _pain_ , if he was capable of feeling it.

Instead, she turned a wry eye to him, watching as he smirked cheekily at her through his darkened shades. Hands in his pockets and the disgusting flesh that looked so close to rotten still on him. Aphi had entertained the idea that he would die soon, for having not killed anyone recently. But it was a fool's hope. She knew. Otherwise, Adi would have suggested it quicker.

Adi… she was probably trying to go through all her records for helping father now. Maybe a catalogue or something about medical experts, or tales of medicine that originated from some far off land. Something that would make saving him easier, more capable, possible. Aphi knew she would be the one to find it, Adi that was. She was very intelligent.

And Ami… she was definitely keeping father alive. She'd help with the devices before, making them at least. They would be able to keep him alive for longer, ensure his severed arm would survive for longer, all before they made it to a hospital for them to seek aid in. Once they did that, then father would be alright.

And Ashi, with her there, they definitely had someone to listen to. Someone who would swoop down and help them out, because she was the strongest of them when it came to fighting, and she always listened to father. So, she would know exactly what was needed, no matter where they went or what they needed.

Aki and Ahi, they weren't going to do a lot at the moment. But that didn't' mean nothing. Ahi wouldn't let them go hungry, at all. She'd make sure they were all well fed, including father. She'd probably make something up so he could eat it in his abused state. Aki would help them all, like she used to do. Aki was a bit more boisterous than she'd ever want to be, but… but she loved her sisters and didn't do anything unless the punishment was hers alone.

Aphi had failed that, horribly, by taking the headbands that still were adorned over her head and tucked into her light pack. She let the long fabric blow in the wayward sea wind, letting it reminder her that it truly was tied to her now. No way to escape it, not without damning her family in the process.

She stopped again along the ocean's beach, staring out at the vast blue that the blew in from. It was something to be admired and appreciated, she knew. Something that her father would comment on with his sagely wisdom was he here. But he wasn't, because of her, so she had only ideas of what he would say, not the truth.

Only ideas of what could be, not what was. A long sigh left her lips, beaten away by the salty breeze of the ocean.

"Gettin' sentimental in the memories, chicky?" The poorly garbed and horribly appearing spirit asked behind her. Aphi did not turn to look. He did not deserve it. "C'mon, you ain't gonna be splittin' me up that easy, ain'tcha?" She did know what he meant. Only that his vile tongue continued to match his vile appearance.

She turned to walk again, not waiting for the spirit that would likely be dragged by her as well. He could follow if he so deserved, but Aphi would have far preferred him to turn to dust and fall away. At least then, maybe, she could return to her sisters. A week was already far too long.

"Gonna keep playin' hooky with tha Ninja, are ya?" He asked with a callous laugh. Aphi didn't even look to glare at him. "Heh, then ya better least duck, girl." Though Aphi loathed the Ninja-Ninja, she knew he wanted her alive. So, she did as he asked.

Aphi fell quickly, twisted around and kicked at the sand. It shot up a small column of the heavy grains, blurring her vision of the thing behind her, but doing the same to it for her. And it was a good reason for that.

An arm shot out from the grainy sand a moment later, nearly grabbing at her neck. It missed, widely, and she was able to roll backwards and back onto her feet, facing whatever her assailant was. Even with how quickly the sand fell again, it was difficult to get a good look at the thing. It all just looked to… bulky.

Broad heavy shoulders, standing almost thrice her height, a heavy coat hanging from his frame, one arm tucked into a pocket, and an oddly made hat sitting on his head. Avi would know what kind of hat it was. Aphi didn't. She only knew that good guys didn't wear them.

It was all matched with beady red eyes staring at her, just beneath the brim.

"Whoa! Now that'sa monstrosity if I'ma gonna be talkin' straight girl." He never did talk straight, but Aphi still listened, even as she kept her narrowed gaze on the thing. She couldn't afford to let it take the headbands not after only a week. "Betcha figuring he's after them headbands of yours, am I ris?" Aphi didn't respond. "Well, might just be, but I'm not seein' a fancy headband on him either. Making it look like he's not in the game yet, ya get what I'm sayin?" Aphi never did.

All it meant was the creature wasn't one that was knowledgeable of the headbands, likely. Adi and Ashi would be able to tell more, maybe Ami, too. But not her. All she knew was this thing had tried to take her head off with a swing of her arm, likely to squeeze her dry. If it was a robot, and she was as small as she was, then it was a real possibility.

"Well, then I'd be keepin' an eye out fer that mighty fella's other hand. No tellin' what he's got packin there." It took Aphi a moment to realize that the spirit was right. This mysterious creature did have his hand concealed, and when attempting to grab her, it had to be for a reason. What that reason was, she didn't know.

Ashi could guess, her father definitely so. Ami would probably be able to use a device to make whatever he was using show itself or Adi could do some guess work with her research. Aphi, however, Aphi could only wait.

And waiting now meant jumping back as the creature's large hand reached forward again. She lifted her feet the backs of the monster's palm, pushing off of it and nearly sliding off the dark gloves that were held there. Not only did they not slip, however, she didn't appear to be able to make him budge.

The daughter of Jack jumped backwards, pirouetting through the air, as if she had kicked off of a wall and not the stray limb of some towering behemoth. A behemoth that's most distinguished trait still remained to be his red eyes. Everything else was too dark.

With the distance between them, thanks to her jump, she eyed the colors of his outfit, like Avi would do before. She saw and made note of the darker colors that appeared to be decorated down his jacket, a hat of matching color, the large blue glove around his hand stretching as his fist clenched, and boots sinking far further into the sand than Aphi's own. It was of little mystery that was because of the weight of the monster.

But when the behemoth began to sprint again, with the grainy sand being kicked up with every foot lift and fall, it was almost impossible to keep track of. Her eyes widened as she silently thought of guessing which way to go.

"Try thinkin' left 'bout this." His words were confusing, but meaning honest.

Aphi ducked fast, spinning her body so her head would swing to the right first. The backhand of the large fist flew over her head, knocking on the flaps of the headband that clung to her head, scrapping at a few stray hairs, but otherwise missing her entirely. She did not let it go to waste.

Her knees bent, mimicking the monkey's climb from her father's training. It let her grasp onto the arm of the fist that missed her, swinging her up t the robot's level, and it was Definity a robot. Too heavy to be anything else. But at the same moment, though it worked, it didn't. She was supposed to bring him down. Instead, his massive weight and strength brought her up. But she could work with it.

Aphi slid across the rough fabric of his arm, the sea breeze pushing her, as she moved closer to the torso of the robot. That was where all the vitals were held, as Ami had described to her once. The human body was a great example, as anything vital was held behind a thick chassis, like the core of the robot. She only needed to strike it well.

_GONG!_

Her foot kicked out when she was close enough ringing with the sound of a struck bell as it hit the center of the robot's mass. It made him waver for a moment, the heavy sands of the beach shifting with the upturn of his weight.

But it wasn't enough. She wasn't her father. She wasn't _heavy_ enough.

Sooner than Aphi expected, his other hand rose and grasped onto her leg, pulling her from his arm and holding her in the air. For a moment and only a moment.

Because in the next moment, she was thrown to the sandy ground hard enough to kick up a storm. A storm that blinded her even as the wind was knocked from her lungs and eyes widened in panic. The fabric of the headband fell over her gaze for a moment, covering her as if to protect her, vainly, from the sand. It didn't last.

The robot lifted her again, swinging her over his head and slamming her into the ground on his opposite side. The vertigo of the swing, coupled with the harsh slam of her back into the sand forced what little was left into her lungs out. But she still had fight in her, enough to raise her arms in a guard for any blows the robot would try and make at her.

Even as he lifted her up, upside down, dangling by her sole foot, she didn't give up. She kicked at his heavy metal hand with her free leg, feeling her trapped limb give little by little with each harsh blow, punctuated by a stretching in her muscles. She just had to kick a bit harder. A bit harder and then she'd

_WOOMP!_

Air was _thrown_ out of her lungs as a strong first hit her stomach.

Aphi was surprised for a moment that she didn't vomit on the impact, her stomach churning with the force that had hit her. She wanted to roll in on herself, but doing an upside-down curl was too much for her now heavily abused muscles. It just left her hanging upside down, groaning, and with her head swinging limply.

"Wait, that's all ya got girl?" The spirit continued to torment and mock her from the side. "Shit, your daddy was a BA with a degree in the art, but ya get a couple of lucky hits on ya and yer down fer the count?" No… no she shouldn't be, but… but she was.

Because she hadn't eaten, because she wasn't with her family, because it was her fault, because everything that was happening was her fault. So, this… this was just payment for her misdeeds. She hated it, but that was what it was.

Aphi only whimpered as the robot pulled her up higher, until her hanging eyes were looking into his red lights.

_BANG!_

His metallic head slammed into hers, over the headband, making her _swing_ with the effort. Swinging back and forth by the grip of one knee and moaning in delirium. Her vision was rocked by the blow, ears ringing from it as well.

Once, Aki had hit her with a rock during their spar, something that their father had reprimanded her for severely, commenting that though it was good to be open to new things in a death match, they didn't belong in a one-to-one fight. The blow that Aki dealt to her then was very similar to this now. Complete with the inability to focus.

"Poor gal. Wrapped up in such a nasty mess."

Aphi could only breath through the blood that clotted her throat at the statement. What she heard didn't make any sense to her, in any context either. She only knew what she saw, because what she heard was ringing. And what she saw was what her father had never wished for them to be indulged with, no more than himself.

A pistol, with a barrel as large as her head, aimed at her forehead.

She couldn't see down the chamber, not when it was aimed so close squarely between her eyes, but she was no fool. She knew what a gun was for and what this one would do.

"Given up 'ready? Man, gotta be a speed record somethin' fallin ta a giant ass robot just because he got in a good hit er three," the spirit continued to mock her from the side even as she hung in the robot's grasp with his barrel aimed at her head. "Heh, well, might as well get used ta this. Only thin's gonna be keepin' ya 'wake nows gonna be the idea ya didn't do 'nough." And the spirit cackled with the words.

Aphi didn't have the energy to spite him, to mock him, or anything else. She only wanted her father and family to be safe. She only wanted to be with them. She wanted to be safe and with them, but she was okay with them just being safe. Giving up wouldn't solve anything, and she knew that, her father always told her that.

But it had only been a week, and she was already so tired. So tired from the idea, the journey, and everything else.

She wasn't strong like her sisters. She wasn't brave. She only ever did what was asked of her. Even now, she only did what was suggested. And for it, for her cowardice, she was going to die for it.

"Sorry sweet thing. Why don't ya relax for now." The robot's voice spoke to her, gently as if she was being coddled. She wasn't, and she knew it. Not after she'd been struck thrice by fists heavier than most of her own father's blows. Especially not with the accursed spirit of the headband laughing at as it happened. "Maybe when you wake up, you'll see flowers."

Flowers would be nice. Aphi always did like flowers, just like Avi. Avi wanted to put them on clothing to copy their designs. But Aphi just liked flowers. They were sweet to smell, gentle to touch, and right where they belonged. She liked flowers, but she didn't get to see them.

Instead, she only got the sea. The endless ocean, the salty breeze, and the hard end of a pistol pushed against her forehead. This was everything her father had tried to keep her from, but she had run right into it, after putting him on death's door.

She was going to die, and it was all her fault.

"I'm sorry dad." Aphi hated her voice.

Not as much as the explosion of white. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello darkness my old friend~, I've come to talk with you again~
> 
> Well, what can I say. Samurai Jack is dark, and I had to remind you that it is still dark. Don't worry, it'll get a lot better from here.
> 
> Wanted to also point out that despite planning a long confrontation with Afro, I decided against it. The whole point was meant to just be a Segway for Aphi having a conflict of her morals for decisions, not a XO of any reasonable kind. The Death Battle just happened and I said screw it, that'll work.
> 
> Also, bonus points to those who know who the figure was in the end.


	9. Ashi and the Ruins of Science

It has been seven years since Ashi had been saved from the mountain. Seven years since she and her sisters owed their lives to a man of legends and myths.

Seven years of learning of a world they were told was Aku's greatest blessing, but soon found him to be its true curse. Seven years of finding themselves outside of the thumb of their keepers, and instead following the steps of their father. Seven years of making just what was vile in the world, learning skills that their father lacked as they craved to understand what he taught.

Seven years they had followed their father, and seven years Ashi did everything she could to emulate him. The way he spoke, led, fought, taught, ate, read, and even slept. She watched and mimicked him whenever she could, seeing it as the only way to reach the level he had in the world, the prestige that was showered on him by friend and foe alike. No one was ignorant of her father, and all were in awe of both him and what he could do.

Ashi wanted to be like him, just like him, in every way she could imagine. It was her dream to one day hold herself in a way that others would look to for hope, to see her as the ray of light in this land cursed by a vile demon. That was what she trained for, what she waited for, and what she studied for.

But Ashi never expected she would be tested so quickly, so soon, and in the way she was now.

For seven years Ashi and her sisters had followed their father, always trusting him to keep them safe through every fight they endured and battle they pushed through. He had fought with his lance, his gun, his bow, his hands, his feet, and anything he could find lying on the ground. That was who her father was. The man who could win no matter the circumstance. That was what Ashi believed. It was what she thought was true.

All before her father had his arm cut off by a vile man tainting the title of samurai.

That was one week ago.

One week since their father had so nearly lost his life, so nearly the battle, and he had yet to rouse from his sleep. Yet to do more than offer labored breathing on the misshapen cot he was dragged on, his severed arm carried in a canister of Ami's making next to him.

One week of Ashi leading her siblings through and out of the forest, searching for a doctor they could trust, all while nursing their father's deteriorating position. A position staved off only by the genius of Ami, the care of Ahi and Adi, and the muscle of Aki and herself. They dragged him through the woods and over roots, dragged him as Ami checked the liquid of the canister secured about his severed arm and stump of a limb, as Ahi and Adi offered all tools and assistance necessary to stave off any fall in his condition. They wiped the sweat from his brow, gave him water to drink, filtered the mysterious coolant Ami used, and anything else necessary.

One week of this for their father, even as the condition spread to Ashi and her sisters. Mentally spread like the miasma they had sealed away in the coffins some years ago. A week of dealing with thoughts, ideas, and fears that Ashi never had before, but now wouldn't cease. No matter which of her sisters she slept next to, no matter the time of night she took for watch or position in which she slept, she could not stave off the thoughts that made her face grimace and soul burn. From the whimpers of her sisters, she knew she was not alone.

One week of nightmares of the vile blade striking a few inches higher, a few milliseconds faster, or a few times more. A week of waking and checking on her father, out of breath and nearly out of mind, fearing that she would find his chest no longer rose or his labored breathing was no more. And every time she had to put her head to his chest, to remind herself he was not gone. Not yet.

One week of that horror. One week of dealing with thoughts no child nor adult should be burdened with for so long. They had to find a doctor soon.

And thanks to Aki, they just might have.

"Now say it," her sister spoke to a decrepit robot, missing an arm and one of its eyes dangling by loose wires. Her messed haired sister chopped the air with her hands, eyes focused as she spoke. It would have been good to see, if the conditions for why weren't so horrid. "From the top, like I asked, tell me and my sis _everything_ about why you're here and where you came from."

"B-B-But I-I- _IIIIII_ c-c-cc-aaaAAAan't-t-t-t-t." Ashi rolled her eyes as the voice reached her ears. Apparently, the robots vocalization system or program was flawed, or something similar. Ashi knew Ami was preoccupied to fix it.

"Yes, you can," Aki spoke again, taking a step forward. Ashi watched the robot wheel away at the action, but she took none to stop her sister. Not while they were in a hurry. "You didn't have any trouble spoutin' off threats of what you were gonna do to me and my sisters when you beat us, so you shouldn't be strugglin' so bad to tell me what _I_ want to hear. So, _do it_." Her voice seethed as her knuckles clenched. Ashi sighed at the actions and words.

"I believe you may have destroyed his communication module when you beat in his head, Aki," Ashi spoke easily to her sister. Though her sibling turned a scornful eye to her, Ashi did not shirk under it. Her father wouldn't and neither would she. Not when they were on the same side.

Not so long as they were family. And as her father would say, that wouldn't change. Instead, Ashi had to change, only a little. Just the way she was communicating to Aki, the same way their father would speak differently when one of them made a mistake.

"It's not my insinuation that you erred in this matter, far from it." Ashi continued, placating her sister. She didn't speak falsely at that. "I'm merely trying to tell you that telling a broken thing to speak is like asking a tired wolf to howl." Their father had once told them a story of a wolf that roared at the night, and couldn't bark during the day.

The snort of a response Aki made was enough for Ashi, enough to know she had dropped the first matter at least. Instead, their gazes turned back to the wheeled robot in a shattered body, his dented chassis still sporting the fist marks Aki had buried into him.

Ashi watched with crossed arms, watched as the robot's head twisted in a variety of directions. She knew he was looking for assistance from someone or something nearby, but none had approached them again. Not that she was surprised. There were numbers surrounding them, staring out from metallic houses rusted and untreated, looking with luminescent eyes behind the edges of broken walls. Though they were there none still approached. Ashi wondered little why.

The mountain of his similarly constructed units behind them was evidence enough. Not as highly populated as something their father would accomplish, granted, but she was proud in a sardonic manner, that she and Aki could best three digits worth of the robotic droids.

"Okay, let me ask this in _another_ way," Aki spoke, her patience having clearly fallen away. Faster than their sisters, and still faster than usual. "You're gonna tell me and my sis _exactly_ what you were doing here, or else I'm gonna start pulling apart your wires line by line till whatever's powering your brain goes lights out." Ashi sighed again. Ami would be preferred for this, but she wasn't here.

Ami, Adi, and Ahi were taking care of their father in a dilapidated building some few blocks away, Adi ensuring no harm would come to them. They were out looking for a doctor or someone with information on one, because Aki and herself were more than capable of handling any threats that came their way. The corpses of robots were evidence enough.

However, it would ultimately be for naught if they were unable to gather any information from this.

"I-I-I-I-I _ccccCCCCCCCCCAAAa-a-a-a-a-anana_ ," Ashi sighed as she heard Aki growl. She had disappointment, but her sister's anger was palpable. "Really really really reallyreallyreallyreallyreally _reallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreally-_ "

**_BANG!_** Ashi watched the robot's head fly off in one direction, without its body.

When her gaze returned to her sibling, it was to see her fist extended towards her side, oil dribbling and smoke billowing from the back of her fist. Doubtlessly a strong back-hand, the kind of harsh tactics that Aki was more prone to use. Not as effective as manipulation of the opponent like she and her father did, but it worked well enough. Except for now.

"I suppose we won't be getting an answer now," Ashi noted. Aki grunted in response. "Though we may be able to take this evidence that there is something in this town that we may use." Ashi mused aloud, fully aware of the spectators observing them. From the way Aki looked about herself, short stray hairs whipping with the motion, she knew she did as well. She was blunt, but that didn't mean her sister's mind wasn't sharp.

"Think we should start askin' the audience?" Her sister's voice held no sense of sarcasm to it, nothing like was usual for her. "Bet one of them knows why the borge tried to ambush us." Tried was operative word. Failed was the correct conclusion.

"Perhaps," she spoke in return, just as her father. "But which one do we ask? I am confident that they will not wait for us should we attempt to… _interview_ one of them." And if they were to gather a robot that was merely trapped in this dark metallic town, no different than any other civilization they found, they would have wasted time. Something they had precious little of.

Not while their father still had labored breathing. Not while their sisters were waiting for them to return. Not while they had to find someone to help their father. Not while Ashi continued to imagine the many ways this situation could worsen.

Her fists tightened, controlling herself. Long deep breaths, relaxing herself. As her father would say, a mind clouded by rage and hate was blind to peace and civility. Peace and civility were required to remove the evil and vile in the world. If one let anger rule them, they would never be able to rid the world of the darkness that held it.

Ashi needed to relax. Relax, breath, and think.

"Maybe… we can be more civil with this." Ashi started. "Perhaps the robots in these darkened huts are not watching for… morbid curiosity." Aki turned back towards her. The screwed look in her eyes was question enough. Her sister never was fond of hiding how she felt.

"Isn't that what robots do?" Aki asked back. Perhaps Ashi was losing her touch. "Ami says it all the time. They record, analyze, and spit out whatever they think is right, 'less something orders them to do it. Bet they're watchin' us just to make sure they can tell their big boss who we are." Perhaps, perhaps. Aki's idea wasn't wrong. However…

"I don't think so," Ashi returned, her breathing still practiced and slow. "If they were, they would have weapons trained on us. Tools to help them if we were to… approach." Her eyes turned towards one hut, the meta of one of its walls bent as if something had blown through it. She could see a red pair of luminescent eyes staring out at them, red bulbs of light hidden behind thick grating. They shirked away as her gaze narrowed on them. "They are also too cautious to be that."

"That _might_ have somethin' to do with the freaking pile of bodies we got over here!" Aki held up her arms at the pile of robots. Ashi looked at it for a moment, long enough to watch an unsteady eye fall from a tilted robot's head, clattering down the pile and running its twisted course on the ground. Dark oil trailed behind it. "And if _that's_ not enough, maybe it's the fact we did it without breaking a freaking sweat here! I mean, it's like they think we're _weak_ or something!" That was actually a fair point.

Over confidence was hardly something alien to most of their enemies. Foes who thought they stood a chance against them, trained by their father and having lived through the Red Mountain for ten years. No one could easily best them, and their father was truly unbeatable. _Or at least he was…_

Ashi took a slow breath, relaxing her breathing again. She had to be calm, doubly so if Aki refused to be.

"Perhaps it wasn't overconfidence that had them attacking us…" Ashi mused as she thought of serenity. Easy thoughts to ease her mind. The clouds in the sky, an ignorant ocean, birds in the forest. "They attacked us without stating who or what we are… they didn't _know_ who we are…" It was likely, though not guaranteed.

"Really? They don't?" Aki chuckled at the question. Ashi did not. Her sister laughed often, but her chuckling while hatred stewed in her was not a thing she enjoyed. Neither her, her sisters, or their father.

It was made painfully clear why when she turned towards the buildings that surrounded them.

"Do none of you _know who we ARE?!"_ She shouted up at them, voice echoing off of the twisted and chaffed metal, bouncing back to them and swimming through the array of homes. It was like a bomb in the ocean, sending the many eyes that watched them back into cover, ducking away from the furious woman who had dealt with so many of their kind.

Ashi could not blame them, but she could fault her sister's attitude.

" _You start attacking us outta no where and basically were_ _ **cheering**_ _when we took those hits, but you did it without a freaking clue?!"_ They likely had a clue now, if not for Aki's words, then for their actions. Aki could name few humans aside from their father who could handle the foes they did together. " _Are you hiding away cause you're afraid we're gonna kick all your butts a_ _ **second**_ _time, or are you just realizing that you're screwed against us?! If ya know who we are, just say it!_ "

The silence returned her echoing cry, one that Ashi let herself rest in for a blissful few seconds. Seconds she spent focusing on her breathing, calming her mind, letting her sister vent. She was worried for their father, after all. It wouldn't be fair or just for her to stop Aki from venting in some manner, no different than father assisting Ahi with a dish to cook when she was worried about the next town they would visit.

" _You seriously don't us?!_ " She yelled again, arms out at her sides. Oil was still dripping off of them, the wires wrapped about her wrists where she had buried them into the chassis and frames of the robots that had attacked them. Ashi hadn't noticed them till now, unlike how her father would have. " _None of you got a clue who our dad is? Ya'll though you could attack us, US, and think that we-_ "

"Enough! Aki," Ashi raised and dipped her voice, getting her sister to turn to her. The scowl was back. Ashi did not drop hers. Not now. Her father wouldn't either. "If they do not know of father, than it is not our job to tell them." It would be a very deadly mistake for them to do so regardless, something akin to painting a target on their back, as their father may relate.

"Why not?" Though Aki was showing her lack of forethought once more. The anger likely wasn't assisting her. "Wouldn't that get them ta at _least_ apologize! Or how 'bout _helping_ us! Cause in case you forgot Ashi, dad ain't exactly doin' too hot right now!" Ashi's teeth began to show.

How her father controlled his temper with Aki's outburst was a wonder in itself, worthy of the tales that the countless villagers whispered of him. It was a part of him Ashi had yet to master…

"Do _not_ act like I have forgotten that," she hissed out at Aki. Her breathing was no longer calm. It was erratic, twisted as the metallic huts that surrounded them. " _Don't_. I'm worried for him, we _both_ are, and _we_ are here _looking_ for someone to help him. But if there _are_ people or beings here _looking_ to hurt him, then telling them _who_ our father is would be _very poor judgement_."

Ashi stalked closer to Aki with her words, stopping only when they were eye to eye. Her long head of hair stood tall above Aki's uncared for mane, matched by her poised posture against her sister's curled rage. Lips snarling at Ashi's thin line of a mouth, eyes focused with rage at Ashi's focused gaze. It was a contrast she was well aware she had with her sister. One that her father and many others had pointed out many times before.

But now was not the time for noticing the facets of their characters. Now was the time to help their father, and shouting at one another would do nothing for it.

The wind whipped past them as they continued to stare at one another. Ashi listened to it, as her father had instructed her to long ago. Aki was violent and prone to lash out, but she was not stupid. She would not attack Ashi if she believed they were in danger, not even if they were trying to help their father. Ashi trusted her for that. So, she listened to the wind as she stared at her sister.

A wind that was cut and beaten by the metallic huts that surrounded them, the harsh nature of the 'town' they were in turning the wind's gentle breeze into controlled passages of gusts. Wind tunnels was the term that Ami had used to describe it to them. Ashi forgot the more technical term, only that there was one. Ami wouldn't be focused on that though, even if she was here. _She would be wondering if the town had anything they could use to assist their father_.

Ashi shut her eyes, dipping her head as she turned from Aki. She didn't care what her sister thought of it, not for that. They were both angry, in their own ways. It was just that simple.

Simple, and horrifying.

"E-Excuse me."

Ashi opened her eyes again, twisting her head until she saw who spoke. Aki doubtlessly did the same, but she didn't check. Her time was better spent studying the robot that spoke to them, standing apart from buildings and peaking out from behind a wall of steel.

Her eyes, for the feminine features of her otherwise damaged face were clear, were looking between the pair of them, blue lights that shifted in hollow sockets, guarded by a glassy frame. Her rusted chassis held itself together, if only barely, leaving Ashi to wonder if her open jaw was due to her truly wondering what to say, or having an inability to close it.

"What? You want something?" Ashi shut her eyes at Aki's words. They were too back to take now.

"Ignore her," Ashi quickly followed. "But… _do_ you need us for something? Some assistance or question?" Her father would ask that, but not approach. Not while they had to be careful. There was too much potential harm around them still to possibly let their guard down.

"No I-I'm… I'm okay," the robot girl spoke. She wasn't, in truth, and Ashi could tell that. The metallic 'wings' above her head looked ready to fall off, any blue that once coated them having been frayed off by time and pain. "Actually I though I… I think I might be able to help you." Ashi was more on edge now. She knew Aki would be the same, unfortunately.

"Oh? You can huh?" The dark humor was in her voice again, and Ashi was wary of it as she was the robot girl who spoke. "How you gonna do that? Tell us what I was asking the first guy about? Offer ta come train with us? Got some magic juice to fix up our dad?" Ashi would have sighed, if she weren't focused on the robot's response.

"N-No, nothing like… not like that." She stepped out from the corner of metal she hid behind. The rest of her body reaffirmed her feminine features, to Ashi at least. Thicker feet that were attached a thinner chassis, an expansion at the chest to simulate moderately sized and covered breasts, flared hips, all of which sported flaking blue pain, more covered in rust and ruined dents. "And I… I-I don't know what wrong, or bad, with… your dad but… but I _do_ know someone who might, m-maybe help. Probably." That was more curious than anything else, but also a tad bit worrying.

"And why should we trust you?" Ashi asked before Aki could threaten her. "I mean not to say you are inherently unbelievable, but we are not in the greatest of circumstances right now to be accepting blind faith, especially when we had to deal with robotic foes only a moment ago." Her head leaned towards the ruined pile of robots. The oil from their broken forms was beginning to seep out from under the pile, coating the ground with the black sludge-like liquid.

The robotic girl, however, didn't appear overly concerned with it. Nervous she was, likely because of her broken form as she talked to a pair of girls who had just broken through hundreds of her kind, but that was it. No action she made spoke of concern for her fellow robots. Then again, it would be easy for a robot to hide.

As Ami would explain, all a robot has to do to hide something is be programmed to not expose it.

"You can trust me because… because I know who you are." But the robot exposed something regardless.

Ashi tightened her fists, flexing her legs a tad bit, not a lot, but enough to leap if necessary. Aki did far more, lurching towards the ground. Her favorite fighting style was the Ravenous Wolf, and she was already adopting the posture again. With a quick beat of her hand, the girl would fall apart, Ashi knew. Aki would probably presume as much, seeing as she still believed they were on equal fighting levels.

"Okay, that's _not_ a reason for us to trust _you_." Ashi was thankful her sister spoke just words. "Especially now of all times." Everything had a limit.

"It is though!" The robotic girl took a step forward, a shaky one at that. Ashi wasn't fearful for what she could do, but she was cautious. "Because… because if I am right… your father saved me before." That, Ashi could believe, easily. It would be more difficult to believe if she was told their father had failed to save someone. "And if he's hurt then… then maybe I can help you, or f-find someone who can."

"That sounds _great_ , it really does," Aki spoke with the dripping humor again. Ashi grit her teeth, ready to intervene at a moment's notice, at the first drop or sign she had to. "But you're gonna have to tell us _who_ you think can help, _if_ we need help. Cause you've said some great stuff, but I'm not in much of a trusting mood right now." If the robot could swallow, or had to, Ashi was sure that she would.

Instead, she fidgeted where she stood, the rusted parts of her body pushing themselves together, pushing off flakes of blue paint, leaving behind a new noticeable wear mark on her chassis. It explained where the markings came from. Unimportant for now, but her father always said no detail was truly useless. Now, she planned on exercising that.

"I…" the robot began and fell of speaking. "I can tell you who can help, b-but I can't say _where_. Not here…" Not here, huh?

Ashi had no confusion why that was, not with the many eyes on them. The statement, however, implied that there was likely to be some information that she didn't want the others to hear, which further meant they were not all in some united front. An interesting prospect, and one that made sense in a village of aliens or humans.

Robots, however, Ami would be curious as to why. And now, Ashi was, too.

"Please tell us who it is," Ashi began carefully. "Whisper if you have to, I will hear. Aki and I know our father's history well, so we may recognize the name." And if they didn't, Adi could confirm. In the same time that Ami could check for any rouge signals or processes being run by the robot _should_ she join them. Ahi could watch father for a time while they-

"His name is Exdor." Ashi knew that name. "And he'll help your father… because he helped me and… a-a lot of other robots before."

* * *

Ami had a love for science. That was never up for debate or discussion. She had grown to love it for the curiosities it helped answer for her, for the wonders it helped to solve and aid it gave when applied. She loved it for being able to save lives, reduce the chance of taking them, and help her to find new homes and areas to stay safe. It was never a curiosity as to how it would be helpful for her family, far from it. There was only one curiosity for her love of science, and it didn't have to do with application or reason. The only curiosity about her love for science was how far it would go.

As was currently being shown, quite far. Far in both application in machines and ability to assist.

"So it's not dangerous to have her here?" Aki asked behind Ami, though she paid her sister no mind. She wasn't speaking to her anyways. Not while she was working. "She's not going to self-destruct like some pre-programmed bomber?"

"The Mad Bomber was the last robot we faced to have a tendency to favor explosives, Aki," Ashi returned evenly. "Most of them prefer to use artillery that they are unsusceptible to, such as medium velocity rounds. They'd work on us just fine, but will only slow them down."

"That's great, really, it is," Aki spoke dismissively. More so than usual, for a reason just as obvious to hear. "But you didn't answer my question. Is it _safe_ to have a _stranger_ here. _NOW_ of all times, in case I'm not bein' clear enough for you." As was her agitation.

It made Ami bite her lip as she worked, looking up at the robotic girl as her sisters' voices emanated through the battle-worn home they called a refuge, temporary at that. The girl looked back down at her, offering a well-articulated smile for a robotic body. Ami took a moment to memorize the sight and the simplicity of it, remembering her father's advice to find beauty whenever it was possible. She looked for it between the low whines of her robotic wand working around the girl's frame.

To her, there was little more beautiful than seeing the magnificence of robotic engineering approaching human abilities and appearance closer and closer with every passing year. Where as a smile was so simple that babes were able to do it, a similar motion from a robot required a very detailed layering of servo joints, facial plates, non-separational aligned, and allowing for smooth glide across the surfaces of one another. It was a very difficult thing to design for.

Yet the robotic girl she worked on gave one effortlessly, flawlessly even. It was almost enough for Ami to forget where she was. Almost.

But Almost wasn't enough, and there was too much going on to forget it all.

"I have to agree with Aki. I don't think, bringing her here was the smartest move." Adi now, adding on to the conversation between Aki and Ashi. Perhaps she was reading, but Ami didn't know. She was still working on the robotic girl in front of her, waving her scanner over her damaged and peripherally marred body. She only noted the cosmetic damage of missing blue hues after the ruptured and high-impact loaded metal dents in her chassis.

"It was the most logical move we had, rather than speaking to her in public where _anyone_ could have deduced enough to figure out where we were, or what is going on." Ashi returned calmly, and Ami agreed with her. Given what they wanted to talk about, it would be difficult to have a conversation in public without drawing suspicion, while simultaneously getting more information.

Rather kind of like scanning the robot in front of her for RF waveforms that were ping-able or other methods and forms of tracking or TX/RX systems while listening to her sisters talk. Her sisters may have whined, but at least she expected them to. Ami was waiting for her device to whine as well, though she hoped it didn't. Not louder than the low growl it gave at least.

"Your family doesn't trust me." The robot girl didn't move even as she spoke. Robots didn't have to, as they didn't need to create any movement of their diaphragm or expulsion of air to create noise. They only needed power and a vibrating plate. _Aphi talked less than she did._ "You don't trust me." Now Ami looked at her face.

It was clear that she had been hit, a lot, but not by anything that could do meaningful damage to her internal components. It was a human condition to put the motherboard, processors, and majority of the memory units in the head of a robot. Simulation of the human brain. The robot she was working on had no discernable puncture or ruptures to her head, only more cosmetic damage, high friction and wear, to her blue paint and once sleek shine.

The eyes didn't help though. They reminded Ami too much of the animals that she and her sisters saw on the sides of the road. Meek, timid, but reminded by their father to be capable of running faster than they were, and hunt more efficiently that them as well. Robots were physically superior. It was difficult for flesh to beat steel.

"It is not that I distrust you," Ami finally spoke, waving her wand over the robot again. No loud growls or moans. Just clicking. "We just have had a… debilitating past week. It has required far more stamina and mental exertion than any of us anticipated. Though… none of us prepared for this." Ami shut her eyes as she spoke.

She wasn't and wouldn't be aware of the robot's internal specifications unless she opened her up, but any android and synthetic lifeform capable of engaging in conversation had to have a reasonable CPU and algorithm drive for handling the extrapolation of data. Simply put, it wouldn't be hard to figure out something was wrong with them.

And Ami might have just spelled it out. Her sisters doubtlessly would have given her grief and anger for it. Thankfully, she didn't not yell when she spoke, and her sisters were not in the room.

The rest of her sisters were in the next room over, between Ami, the robotic girl, and their father in the room _two_ rooms over. A veritable wall built by their bodies as it were. A strategic choice by Ashi, a safety precaution that Adi and Aki agreed to. None of them disagreed actually. Ami just volunteered to talk to the robotic girl.

"Sorry about that." The gravelly voice returned. Gravely, from something doubtlessly being dislodged now. It was too infrequent, lacking any clear pattern of appearance, to be much else. "I want to know what's wrong but, yeah, I understand asking that wouldn't be good. Not while you're checking me to, um… make sure I'm clean?" It was a question, but it shouldn't have been.

Ami was analyzing her to see if she was dirty. Dirty in the auditory and high-frequency signal sense. _Aphi would have said nothing of it, but would have volunteered to increase the sweep speed. But she wasn't here anymore_.

"What makes you think there is something to apologize for?" Ami instead asked. Her father had taught her to deflect and avoid blows that could not easily be countered. She did not want to speak about the robot, not in a way that could force her check her differently. She was to lead this, not the robot. Not her. "On conjecture, I'd say that Aki was more vocal about something being off than Ashi was."

"Aki is… the one with shorter hair, right?" The robot waved her hand above her head, where hair would be. It was only then that Ami realized those wings on her head weren't wings. They metallic constructs meant to resemble pigtails. Quant. "She was loud, yeah, yes, but… but I realized something was wrong before that." This was a conversation about more than just the check-up then.

"Before my sisters were assaulted by the other robots? Compatriots of yours?" The hum of her wand went off as she spoke, spiking the tension like her question. It was direct, a comment Aki might make or Adi the same without thought. But Ami was being intentional. She needed an answer, and a direct question meant a direct answer, or one at least verifiable.

"Before that," the robot returned. "You might know, actually, probably not, actually. No, sorry, you probably don't know." Ami felt her arm still over the girl's leg as she spoke, the wand buzzing as its motioned ceased. "You are your father have… you and your sisters are famous. Or at least close to it. Famous for what you have done, and he has done."

That gave Ami pause. It was a pause that the reasoning function within the robot must have taken as a sign to continue.

"Not just with us, with me, a-and the others." Her hand, probably the most damaged part of her chassis and system, waved off to some non-descript direction. Probably the ruined homes she had emerged from, according to Ashi. "You've been taking down members of Aku's head assassins, a-and your father, if I'm right about who he is, has been doing that for… for _much_ longer." That one Ami could not rebute or refute.

"That's true," she returned, softly but not timidly. Just with an air of focus. "However, that does not explain how you know about us being here, or how you may know something is wrong." Then again, Ami knew it was a fool's question. Anyone who had heard Aki screaming could tell.

She wasn't meant for interrogations. This was where Ashi excelled. But Ashi and her sisters were guards for her father at the moment, and if need be, Ami could dismantle any robot that came her way. Either with the little bit of martial arts she was able to master or with her scientific skills she continued to grow. A well placed EMP, perhaps one with more force behind it to crack any shielding, would do.

"I-I didn't know, not until your sister, Aki, I think, started yelling." Ami was right, but she didn't congratulate herself for an easy answer. "I only knew it was you after your sisters fought the Robo-Rumble Gang. They… they've been scrapping parts for a while now and I haven't… I-I lost the ability to fight them." Fight them?

"You fought them?" Ami finally questioned. She lowered her detection rod, dismissing it for now. Nearly 90% covered and not even a faint trace of Tx/Rx waves from the system. The robot was completely sealed, metaphorically beyond her chassis's torn segments. "Is that were you were injured from? Trying to defend others?"

"I've done it before, a-and I did it for a while." The robot girl responded. There was pride in her voice, the kind that Ahi had when she finished a good meal. Temporary, fleeting, but noticeable. "But… e-even for a robot like me, resources matter. And with how the world is, and with so much happening, I can only do so much with so little." Ami knew what resources those were.

Spare metals for damages, soldering tools for stripped or cut wires, welding equipment for chassis repair, basic fuel for performance and power. All of them were vital. But none of them told her which was needed the most. All were viable there.

"Then that means you were defending your town until this… Robo-Rumble gang took advantage of your low supplies?" The robot nodded her head, Ami listening to the servos beneath her metal chassis winding up and down with the action. A fixed rotation, as most servos had, when they wanted a strong resistance to force when not in motion. They were superior to DC in that regard. "Did they beat you too much?"

"No, they didn't. Well… yes they did." The difference in the answers was more telling that Ami would care to admit her sisters would understand. Contrary to popular logic, and Adi's testimony, there was more than one answer to a question. _Aphi understood that_. "I was able to fight them off, for a while. Well, too. I've been doing it for… for a _really_ long time."

That, Ami could believe as well. The metal she had been scanning over was difficult to date specifically, without access to a wireless data network or carbon-dating system, but it appeared far older than it looked. Maintained, for sure, but also not. In fact, were it not for the expressive features of her metallic face, Ami would have though the robotic girl _very_ old indeed.

"But the problem was… they eventually _got_ the supplies." Ah, now Ami understood. Her head was already nodding. "They retrieved the supplies a-and I can't find them. My moth… my friend… I had help before, with tracking them, but they didn't last as long as I did." There was no double meaning to her words.

Robots and other synthetic lifeforms very commonly associated with the humans that built them as their parental figures. If she ever mastered AI, Ami was sure the same would be true for her. _Aphi had once said they would_. Of course… that would mean.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Ami repeated methodically. The same way she'd say to many others in their times with their father, the same way many would speak in the future to her. _The same way she was sure she'd one day be spoken to about_ _ **Aphi**_ _._ "But I'm guessing the lack of control of the supplies led to…" Ami led on.

"… oh! Yeah, they… they got control of a lot of the fuel, a-and the spare parts." The last one appeared to be the bigger problem. "With those they… they were able to hold out a lot better than before, a-and keep themselves coming to no end. I think… I-I think they have a satellite hookup to upload their software once they are destroyed or… something like it."

Ami doubted it was that, not given the screaming that Aki and Ashi said happened when they were attacked. More than likely they were being mass-produced with the scrap material that they apparently has squandered from the town, something Ami could believe given its dilapidated state. More than anything, it meant there was a higher power at work than a gang. A leader of non-autonomous machines, or slaves. Neither were good, but..

"Why not look somewhere else for supplies?" Ami questioned. "This is not the only town with supplies available, I'm sure." She had much to back it up. The robot girl, however, only shook her head again. The action made it clear how metallic she was, and damaged as well.

"That shouldn't matter a lot, b-but this town doesn't have much else to trade, and we can't go very far without fuel. So… so we can't bargain with others outside of the Robo-Rumble Gang." Ami slowly began to understand. "Tried a few times, not me, others, but… not enough fuel to get very far, and not enough to trade if we get there."

"Trapped in an open cage." Ami repeated. Her father had told her something like that once, something about keeping a snake hostage by putting it up on a high hill it couldn't roll down from, _before her father was hurt and_ _ **Aphi**_ _took the blame for it, falsely_. "Then that is why you came to my sisters."

"Yeah, yes," the robot girl returned. "I mean, I know who you are now, I'm pretty sure, and your sisters seem to agree that I know someone who can help, so I'm hoping he can, too." Yes, that name. It was a name that Ami knew fairly well.

Exdor. The scientist that her _father_ had once related her to, given her desire to build and learn.

"That good enough for you, Aki?" Ami turned back to the wall separating her from her sisters with the question. IT was not that she didn't understand the question itself, that was straight forward.

What she couldn't understand is why Ashi, perhaps the most strategic of her siblings was _intentionally_ talking loud enough to be heard. Then again, perhaps it was evidence that they were being won over.

"I still don't like it. I don't care how bad she's got it or _who_ she says she knows from dad's past." Aki's dismissal and rebuttal were as obvious to Ami as her anger. It was something they all currently shared. "Hell, I'm willing to bet that with the number of people dad's met in the past, she could've named _anyone_ and it would've been someone he's been involved with. Name any assassin from that damn list and you got a chance." Ironically, statistically, she was correct.

"I remember Exdor though," Ahi spoke. Not Ashi, that was key. "He was supposed to be one of the smartest men to help him before. Smart enough that Aku had to recruit him to help make super robots." Robots, of course. More likely to be called androids, as they were supposed to be autonomous and following a specific protocol.

"Super robots that were corrupted _by_ Aku," Adi corrected. Reprogrammed, Ami amended as she heard her astute sibling rifling through pages. Perhaps it was something she documented, or a paper of the doctor she had found. Likely the former, as she had no interest in robotics or synthetic systems design.

Robots were _Ami's_ specialty. As well as cyborgs, androids, and other mechanized automata creations fabricated from higher than average amounts of steel, aluminum, polymers, and other electrically conductive materials. She wanted to join her sister's conversation, but she had to focus.

"I… think I know what they are talking about." Ami looked up at the robot as she spoke again. The odd angular beams on her head moved as she spoke, damaged, but not exposing anything vital. Just a hollow chassis interior. "There were tales about robots who were more than just memory altered before… at least, insufficiently retained memories of them."

"Because synthetic lifeforms don't need stories when you can more efficiently exchange data at a high Baud Rate." It was one of the many things Ami marveled about machines as well. Superior cross-communication, far above humans at least. Instant recognition of poor data streams, one-to-one file transfers, lack of biasness or alteration in data, without malicious intent. "Meaning that you are either thinking of a story that was never witnessed by a fellow robot or… one that a human told you."

"The last one, the… the human one." The robotic girl didn't seem thrilled by the title. "From Exdor himself, actually. Before the gang came, a-and before he started to hide. Before a lot of things, actually." Time was a horrible thing to witness. _And right now Ami and her sisters were racing it for their father_.

**_She wasn't to forget her other sister either_ ** _._

"Exdor designed several of the robots to placate Aku from destroying his village, making them specialized in niche forms of combat in order to create a platoon of soldiers that would be difficult to eliminate when they were congregated to a common unit." Adi read off of her notes, given her formal tone. A part of it was conjecture though, as Ami remembered nothing about her father's story being so specific. However, she was right, at least enough for Ami to agree. "However, Aku decided to-"

"Smoke the dude's village for being such an idiot for thinking that that would ever work." Ami could only sigh at Aki's usual voice. Her snide remarks had only hardened to a burdenable taint since _their father was injured_. It wasn't a grand excuse for her behavior, but it was one. "Same way things always go down with Aku, dealing with fire and evil and all that."

"You could be kinder, but you're not wrong." Ashi agreed with her sister. "That said, I do remember that father helped him destroy the robots, correct?"

"Bet it was after the bastards did a hell of a lot of damage to a lot of towns, right?" The leading statement proved she already had an answer. Ami knew it as well. Though judging by the way the robot girl next to her dipped her head, even she was aware of it. Exdor must not have spared details of his own failings. A good quality to be sure, though a bit too focused for the moment.

"… Yes, after they destroyed five towns, and dad was able to track them from the singular survivors they left alive, wounded enough to make the remainder of their lives debilitating… or short." Adis' voice was short as well.

"Two points!" Aki yelled out. Hers was not. If there was any compassion to be had, it was that she _sounded_ no less disgusted by the fact. "Who would have ever figured the evillest thing to ever live would do something evil _and_ messed up. Almost like it was _obvious from the start!_ " Truly she was, but her volume lacked nothing before and only gained ground now.

"We get it. We _get it_ , Aki." Ahi returned now. She sounded… tired. Ami could not blame her. She had been helping her take the place of _Aphi_ with her supplies. It was not easy, given that she had much to carry herself, with food. "Just… Just can we focus on what we are going to do now?"

"That would be good to think about," Ashi agreed. "Especially if we are to decide on introducing father or not." They were, Ami already knew. The question was only how. Through a crack in the door, full exposure, or partial remittance of information. The latter would be difficult with a robot that had high memory banks and data disseminating features.

"They're talking about me again, right?" Ami looked at the robot girl. "Like I said before, I don't think they trust me." They didn't, and for good reason. Ami would admit she had _more_ reason now, but not enough to make that trust absolute.

Absolute trust was the invitation for danger, and danger had already taken not only their _father's arm, but_ _ **possibly her sister's companionship.**_

Ami bit her lip at the thought, shoving away the memories of her actions and how they had contributed to her father's state. She had to focus on what was before her, just like her father had told her. That was the key to gaining victory in defeat, and finding calm in a storm. Remaining focused. It was just as Ashi had been for the past few weeks, and it was just what she had to be.

Focused on the robotic girl in front of her, noting all that she could. Noting the aqua colored details to her likely once pristine frame. A frame that was now marred with obvious high impact shrapnel, exposing servo motors and DC components. No processor or motherboards were exposed, obviously, as those would be the equivalent of exposing vital organs. Still, exposing the human equivalent of muscle wasn't exactly fine logic either.

However, unlike her sisters, Ami could understand how difficult it would be to correctly repair a metallic frame such as the girls. Ignoring the obvious damage that would be caused to her little remaining by sparking metallic filaments, a poor welding job could easily melt what little of her exterior was left, possibly leaving it more exposed than before. That wasn't even to consider the idea of damaging the internal circuitry, something that was _very_ likely to happen, unless she was able to find a TIG welder capable of 24+ Voltage with an appropriately equivalent federate. Only then would she be reasonably able to cover the hole without risking a high internal cavitation temperature. Ami grinned as she thought of fixing those issues.

Patching the robotic outer thigh there, covering the filament wiring within, patching up her torso from exposure, repairing her vocal processor to reduce the metallic drag, likely caused by a loose wire or debris in her speaker system, shaking from the high vibrational energy of her metallic body. If she was able to fix that, then the robotic girl could possibly sound natural, perhaps like one of them.

Then again, that was all work to be done with spare equipment she didn't have and tools that were too cumbersome to easily carry. Any chassis she usually had were pre-fabricated or easy to tie around each other. Welding tools were worthy of a vehicle alone, let alone a back pack complete with all the raw materials and coils necessary. Fixing the robot was out of the question, for now.

For now, aside from the damage, the trauma, and the desire to assist them, the robot girl appeared ot be just a relic that survived longer than most suspected. Now, despite her talk of fighting before, she was just a regular teenage ro-

"Ami."

The call of her name dragged the scientifically incline daughter of Jack from her work.

Her head turned, looking at Ashi. Her eldest sister, mentally alone, likely, was watching her with crossed arms. Aki was by her side, both watching closely. She didn't hear them enter the room, but that was all that was different. She had nothing to fear from her sisters, ever. The robot was the only outlying variable at the moment.

And in this moment, it had remained perfectly stationary as Ami continued to pull her sensor over her damaged form. A good balance center, leading to an efficient design but… it was unimportant.

"Is there is any progress?" Ashi continued, the pause likely being from anticipating have the question answered without it being asked. Aki didn't speak up either, telling Ami all she needed about there being a conversation before they came in.

There was no need for the dual assault though. Ami would never lie to her sisters. Ever. Perhaps they were just being careful, after _Aphi_.

"Everything is fine," Ami returned. It took her a second to realize her voice was harsher than it should have been, or needed to be. "No rogue signals detected," Ami noted further. "All current data transmissions across common frequencies represent no abnormal data transfer. No spike in abnormal frequencies either." Frequencies more common amongst higher end hardware or transmission techniques.

"Good, thank you," Ashi returned, short and more as a dismissal. She walked forward with only a light glance at her, almost as a direction to move out of the way, her equipment included. Aki waited at the door, watching with her arms still crossed. To all others, it would appear thy were dismissing her, but Ami wasn't insulted. Not when she knew why.

Ami was focused on her work before. Now, Ashi was focused on hers. Aki was just here to watch.

"I do not know your name," Ashi began. Almost immediately afterwards, she held up her hand. Namely to stop the robotic girl from speaking. "And you don't need to tell me. I know you and my sister heard a great deal of what we discussed before. I won't insult you to assume you didn't guess we did that intentionally." It was just as Ami thought, though she still was unsure why.

"I… suspected," the robotic girl spoke up. "But I thought it was to show that I understood where I was. That is around your home, your family, your… you all." Ami was sure it wasn't so simple. She was also sure Ashi would not readily give the answer.

"You are close enough." She was correct again. "What is more important, however, is that we were able to verify what little we could from what you discussed with Ami." Ah, so Adi was doing more than just reading up on Exdor then. That is more than merely looking at what they already knew.

It made sense. Her sibling was fond of reading many texts and housing a lot of information, past and present.

"She basically confirmed that there has been a lot of talk about gang activity, which isn't really that strange in this messed up timeline." Aki spoke up, using her own idioms. Future, as their father often called it. "Real clincher was when Ahi confirmed that the places you guys are housing the spare parts and your oil all wrong, least form the perspective of grub and other utilities. Thinking about it the same way, you're hoarding it in all the wrong spots." That was new information to Ami. When had Ahi learned that?

"When did you learn of that?" A curiosity shared, it sounded like.

"Before this conversation, discussed while you were in here." While they were… ah, now Ami saw it. "There were four of us talking, and not all of us were talking at once." It was another benefit that the robotic girl had such an expressive face. Because Ami could recall precious few times, she had seen a look of surprise or marvel on a synthetic face before, not without it being stuck in such a state.

"… oh. O-oh, that makes sense." The robot girl relented. "I didn't think that and… and that's impressive, really. You're strong, and smart, all of you, not just you." Ami preened herself at the comment directed towards her. Though she saw Aki adjust her shoulders as well. Ashi, however, did nothing. She kept herself neutral as the curtain of their conversation.

Ashi truly was the tactician of their group, at least until their father awoke. When he awoke, and possibly when _Aphi returned_.

"I'm glad you think highly of us, though we know only enough about you," Ashi continued on. "That isn't meant to be an insult or conversation to continue on. In case you have not already deduced it, we are in a rush for time and cannot afford to have a long conversation." Ami had not forgotten. None of her sisters had. Ashi least of all. "We have already wasted much simply vetting you for being a possible mole or assassin."

"Assa… oh! No! Never, I-I-I'd never do that!" Ami could only note that the synthetic girl, wearing marred aqua paint, was risking further harm to herself by waving her limbs as fast as she was. The steel of her arms, the bits that were exposed, were already bent and risking further fracture and damage. Metal was not as ductile as skin and bone. "But… you wouldn't know that, but now you do, right?"

"Correct," Ashi quickly returned. "What's more, I can tell you have also earned Ami's approval as well." She did not shirk or appear surprised when Ashi turned her gaze to her. It was something their father had often done in conversations, a method to get them involved, as Adi and he called it. Ami returned it with only a singular nod, one that Ashi gave back in turn. "That is enough for me, at the moment, to take a chance with what you know."

"You mean with Exdor, right?" The robot girl began the question, getting another firm nod from Ashi. "So that he can help your father, Samura-"

" **I** don't think saying that's a good idea." Aki's shout broke off the robot's voice. Ami couldn't help but jump at the sudden declaration either. "Call me paranoid or whatever you want, but in a town that controlled by, what are they called? Robo-Grumbles?" Incorrect, Ami noted.

"Robo-Rumbles." The girl corrected.

"Right, that," Aki spoke with a snap of her fingers. Her faux-ease was painfully obvious to Ami to see. Namely because her knuckles were still bone white where they were gripped at her forearm. "Point is, even if you can't sense anything goin' off, doesn't mean one of those robots with all the spare parts can't put together something impressive to listen to us with, right?" It was theoretical, but…

All they would need was a good conductor to be able to sense the vibration of their voices, and then amplify it to a reasonable level while putting it through a filter, like a band-pass with associated auditory levels, to be able to hear them and not other noise. Combine that with a fan to focus the area of desired information and… and it was possible.

Ami had to admit, she was impressed. She was not the only one.

"That… makes sense, yes," the robot girl added. "I'm sorry I didn't think, that's bad. I was too focused on helping you, so you might be able to help me." Ami never thought the deal would go any other way. Charity was grand, but rarely was it so free in this dark future, as their father would say. _And he would say again._

"I won't fault you for that." Ashi continued. "That being said, perhaps now would be a good time for you to take us to Exdor." Ami was sure that was too fast.

"But, what about-" The girl began with the obvious question, but Ashi was quick to anticipate it.

"We will have to move our father, yes, but we had to move him here in the first place, and we will have to move him again regardless." Ashi swiftly spoke. "Better to move him now, with what little time we have, then risk inaction and jeopardize him. It will be all of us involved, anyways, far more than enough to handle any issues that may come up. We _have_ demonstrated ourselves already, have we not?" She and Aki had, that was for sure.

Ami observed the robot girl lift one of her damaged hands to her lips, the myriad of fluctuating plates twisting until they showed an expression of likely confusion. Confusion, or unease. Unease was unlikely, given the tendency for it to be an undesirable feeling or emotion. Then again, her model was older than Ami originally thought. Perhaps she was one of the early prototypes…

"… We can do it." The girl finally spoke again. "I know Exdor will be happy to see you, all of you. And it would be a waste to wait, I agree. The longer we take, the easier it would be to find him, or me." Or us, Ami amended.

Now she understood why Ashi wanted to leave so quickly. So there wasn't time for a possible exchange of information, not now that she confirmed the girl wasn't transmitting any information. Her sister truly was a lot like their father.

Close, but still not the same. Only their father could be their father.

And hopefully, they'd get him back soon.

"Aki, get Adi and Ahi ready," Ashi instructed over her shoulder. "Ami, tell them what you need help with. Aki will help carry father." She nodded, understanding how critical their move would be. The same as it was coming in. Ami had no doubt.

"Can I help?" The robot girl queried.

"For now? No," Ashi was quick to answer. "You only need to guide us to Exdor, so we can help our father. Is that alright?" The girl was just as quick to nod in return.

"Yes, yeah, that works, but… but are you sure you don't need help?" Ami was unsure if it was the same protocol that had her fighting the gang before that had her asking, or one of the three basic laws of robot morals that were requiring her to ask. "I… I know you don't trust me yet, but I want to help. Because then you can help us, all of us, right?" With that, Ami decided on the former with.

"Likely and probably, but not yet," Ashi spoke again. "For now, you only have to guide us. After that, it's our father's decision." Ami smiled at her words, and not because she e thought they were humorous alone. They merely had a mirthful purpose in context.

Injured or not, there was no way their father would ever turn down helping others.

Even the loss of an arm wouldn't stop that.

* * *

It was difficult to make Ashi feel uneasy. In the sense of discomfort or nervous. She felt a sense of unease when her father was injured and she was put in charge of her sisters. That was dread and terror, though quickly quashed under her honed focus. That did not matter much. She also felt distress when she realized how dependent they all were on her father's blessings and guidance, and her inability to control her sisters more extreme tendencies. That was alleviated by her mimicry of his tone and action.

Those were a type of unease, but they were not unease itself. It was not an odd feeling in an otherwise peaceful atmosphere, a sense of dread or imposing pain. What she had felt, and her sisters had experienced, was the terror of being in an already painful situation, and being forced to find a way out of it, without knowing where it was. Relying on what they knew, desperately clawing for a source of relief to latch onto.

The unease she was not used to was the sense of imposing pain while walking through the forest, the idea that something terrible was about to occur with little indication of what, aside from a pained feeling in her stomach. The kind of dread her father often described when one of her sisters wandered without telling of where. It was a kind of unease that Ashi was not familiar with.

Until, that is, she was being escorted through a rusted and dilapidated tunnel by an equally cared for robot, with her sisters and still unconscious father trailing after her. And truly the tunnel was run down and without care. If anything, were it not for the robot girl's eagerness to enter it, Ashi would have immediately thought of it as a trap.

The walls appeared to be ready to cave with a single swift kick, the pounds and tons of steel hung above them to cave with the motion. Just walking through it, she could hear the whistling of the wind and groan of weight grind above her. It was enough to make her fists clench, looking about herself carefully for any stray lights, and flickering doubt, any hint for a trap. But she saw none, and her unease only grew.

"It shouldn't be much further now," the robot girl spoke from just ahead of Ashi. Ahead, but not too far. Far enough that she would be alone in any traps she triggered, but not so far to escape if she ran. She as too injured to take off at such a pace as it were. "Exdor's lab is just hidden away so the Robo-Rumbles can't find it." It made sense to Ashi, hiding away rather than being easily exploitable. Never had she or her sisters had to worry of such a thing, but never were they without one of the strongest fighters in the world, _until now_. Ashi breathed to calm herself.

"Said that a while ago, like ten minutes back," Aki spoke from behind. Ashi was thankful her voice was subdued, at least. The usual volume to her chorus no longer there. "Really appreciate an accurate ETA now, so I'm not waiting for the jump." But her tact had still yet to repair itself. She forgave her sister though, under the circumstances.

"I-It really isn't far." The robot girl spoke without losing stride. An easier task for an autonomous creature, Ashi reasoned. Able to separate her mind more efficiently than any of them could, except perhaps Ami. "Before I just… I was talking about the tunnel, not Exdor. He's close now though, because I recognized these posts." Her hand, missing chunks of metal from the arm, indicated a set of pillars, rather unassuming to the rest of the mass of exposed steel. "Maybe another minute or two, th-then we'll see the door." That was something at least.

None of her sisters spoke in response, not even Ashi herself. They were all too focused, hardened, on what was happening. Perhaps hoping that something beneficial would come of this, as she was as well. It was their possible first chance to help their father more than staving off what was currently happening to him.

Turning around and looking at him, Ashi had to remind herself how critical their situation was.

Watching their father being carried on a stretcher between Adi and Aki. Watching the man who had saved them from the Red Mountain being carried around with a portion of his weight gone, and awake mind with it. _A thought that made Ashi's mind race whenever she thought of the torture he could be enduring_.

Said limb severed from his body being carried by Ahi in Ami's container, swimming in the same liquid that was being circulated over their father's stump. _A stump that hurt Ashi's own arm to gaze on._

And Ami carried next to them, eyes always glancing at the contents of her digital scroll to ensure that their father was stable, that his arm was viable, and that there were no complications that could jeopardize his life. _For anything else would likely be well and truly beyond repair_.

Ashi took another calming breath, returning to the present as the robot girl turned a corner. Ashi leaned forward to gaze after the robot, searching the torn walls, scarred ceiling, and the steel supports behind them. Her beady eyes saw nothing concerning, nothing immediate. Nothing that her father's training had taught her. With a wave of her hand, her sisters quickly followed.

And as they continued to follow the robot, all silent as they did so, Ashi had to think of what Avi would do in this situation, of where Aphi was wherever she had escape to. Her sisters were smart, strong, and able to support themselves, but they had never been alone, at least not so long as Avi.

Avi was amongst monks and clerics who valued her ability to sense patterns and understand the need for nature and color. Her ability to see what the millennia old monk could not made her viable for them, though Ashi knew _she belonged with them_. Still, she did not argue.

Aphi was easily the second strongest amongst them, after Ashi herself. She was silent, but strong, who had made a mistake and now _foolishly_ thought it was her sole duty to correct it. She no doubt had saved their lives by running, but _she belonged with them_. Still, she did not argue.

It wasn't her place to demand rules and actions from her siblings, only to guide them.

They weren't weak.

"We're here, now." Ashi looked up at the robot, her hand already on a flat metal wall. But it was just that, a wall.

Not a door, not a hangar, not even the corner to a new room. It was a wall, flat and square, surrounded by crushed metal and groaning steel all around them. It was a wall no different than any of the others Ashi had seen in Aku's dark cities, when she and her siblings were forced to venture into them with their father. Smooth, black, docile, and even a bit intimidating. But that was it.

"This is it?" Aki asked behind her. "You gotta be kidding me? Is this some kind of joke?!" Her voice was rising, but Ashi was well aware why. She was doing it before even she had the chance.

"The wall is sounder than the rest of the fallen beams and pillars," Adi noted next, her voice calmer than usual, lacking the pounce of energy she was so known for amongst her sisters, when it came to new knowledge. "But… I don't see anything like a mark or indicator on it for where to go or… anything." What Ashi could hear was the tightening of her grip on their father's gurney.

"So it is a trick," Aki growled. Were she not holding up their father, Ashi knew she would have attacked the robot girl. It was why she put her in charge of it with Adi.

But right now, she was having difficulty not doing the same. Her feeling of unease had been answered.

"N-No!" The robot girl nearly yelled out, backing into the wall. "It's a disguise, a fake, really!" She quickly waved over it, forcing Ashi to ignore the grating sound of steel on steel, one partially ruined the other sound and complete. It was as grating to hear as her nerves felt. "I promise! It is!"

"No screens or external monitoring devices," Ami noted calmly as well. A glance showed her eyes focusing from behind her own screen, eyes narrowed. That was a dangerous sight, more so for the robot. Afterall, Ami had the EMP to use. "No sensory data indicating external communication, no data transfer, nothing. Insulation at best, but that is it." Now she growled.

Ashi had to do something. That something _had_ to be constructive, not cathartic. That could be saved for when they were in a place that didn't fill her gut with unease.

"You had best tell us of where Exdor is, quickly," Ashi spoke carefully with her arms folded behind her back. It was the only way she could keep herself from lashing out. Of all her sisters, she was in the best position to strike, for good reason. She was the most capable in taking down threats. "Or else you will have confirmed Aki's earlier suspicions, _and mine_." Now she growled as well.

Ashi couldn't tell if the robot girl's voice was an actual cry of distress or the whirl of gears that worked inside of her body. All she could be sure of was that it was not a normal sound she would make, not unless she was faced with something she truly regretted to face. That was good, as fear was often the mind killer, and it did her some good to know that this robot had the capability as well. _Her father might be ashamed, but she could beg forgiveness once he had recovered_.

"Speak," Ashi lightly commanded, her single word carrying more weight than she was sure Ami was holding. _Aki and Adi were already carrying the weight of their father_. "Do you have nothing else to say?"

"W-Wait! I… I need to open… open… open…" Ashi stared curiously at the robot, her voice pattering off as she repeated the same word over and over. "open… open… open… … … …" Until there was nothing to hear at all.

The robot girl was just left looking at the ground, her dexterous mouth moving over soundless words.

Her limbs remained frozen as she did so, not a gear or system within her whirling to life as she spoke. Ashi watched, limbs stiff and ready to react, all while dreading the growing feeling of unease in her gut. She did not blink, however, nor did she look away. That was when an opponent would strike, and a synthetic lifeform had more patience than any average human. _But she was trained by her father, and she wouldn't fail him when he needed her_.

So Ashi watched, carefully and silently as her sisters, as the robot girl continued to move her mouth soundlessly, the rest of her body motionless as the black wall, and nothing else. The walk down the decrepit hall had given her a sense of unease that she was not used to. This sight did not help, especially when she was unsure of what was happening. However, there was someone who might.

"Ami," Ashi spoke carefully. "What is it she's doing?" Though she spoke, the leader of the daughters of Jack did not avert her eyes from the robot girl. She was more important than what her sister looked like. "Is it something you can scan or… stop?" She wasn't sure if they were the right words.

"I'm still sensing no large data-transfers or attempts to access wireless networks. No hosting, data acquisition, or activated network interfaces," Ami spoke, all the while her hands danced across her pad. "I cannot tell if she's been lost into a recursive loop due to her inability to defend herself whilst being threatened or if she is trying finish a set function with an unequal number of variables." It was gibberish to Ashi, but she believed her sister's underlying point was obvious.

"You mean you scarred her stiff?" Aki asked, not a trace of sarcasm in her voice. For disbelief, Ashi shared it. "You gotta be kidding me? Right? Tell me this is some kind of joke, seriously!?" Her aggravation was shared as well.

"This… this is bad then," Ahi now, speaking softly, doubtlessly as she held the canister tighter, _the canister that carried their father's arm_. "If that's the case then… what's going to happen next?" The implication was obvious, to Ashi at least.

Unfortunately, it was to Aki as well.

"You've gotta be kidding me! You mean this was just a trap! This was all just… just some stupid ploy to get dad out here?" Her voice echoed through the ruined hall, not nearly so much as if it were made of uniform parts and well-welded material, but still more than Ashi would have cared for. _Far far more_. "We brought dad out here with her and now we're in the middle of a freaking _trap!_ " That was enough.

"Calm down, Aki," Ashi commanded. " _Quiet_ down." It was the same way she had been told all her life. But this was not the same situation as any other point in their life. Admittance or not, they were desperate.

And it showed in Aki's volume.

"I will _not_ be quiet while I'm _holding still in some RUINED ASS METAL CAVE!_ " Ashi grit her teeth as her sister's voice echoed much louder this time. Perhaps Ami would explain, in another time, how the _volume_ of her sister's voice helped it carry through the air. For now, she only held onto her aggravation. "The robot chick left us _trapped_. She _checked_ _out_ of her body and left us _alone!_ Now we have _dad_ here, _knocked the hell out_ , and without a _freaking WAY TO-_

**GONG! GRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrr**

Ashi buckled her knees and sent her arms out as the boom of doors and winding of gears filled the hall. Her sisters did much the same, putting precedence, obviously, to their father still carried on the stretcher. None of them screamed, none of them worried, but they were all prepared. But Ashi was the only one who could react.

Her eyes, hard and focused, scanned for the sound of the gears, flashing past Ami who was doing much the same with her digital scroll. The ruined hall, destroyed as it was, still concealed the whereabouts of the grinding gears well, their volume and echo, demonstrated by Aki, making their location almost impossible to find. It did not help that the sound was aggravating to hear as well.

**rrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRR** **_RRRRRRRR_ **

The volume picked up, an indication that they were increasing in power. It was a truth Ashi knew only because of how her sister played with her mechanics before, but this was on a much larger scale, and a much larger unknown. Winding gears could be preparing a trap to spring, funnel toxins into the tunnel, signal the rouge robots to attack them, or any other number of things. Ashi needed to do something, but she couldn't tell what.

"Ashi!" The leader of the girls looked to Adi, her head whipping towards the wall. She didn't wait to hear her speak again. Her own eyes turned towards the smooth black monstrosity-

-and saw light starting to shine from beneath it.

Ashi did not relax her legs as she watched the towering wall slowly rise from the floor, exposing more to the immense hallway than before, flooding the ruined cavernous tunnel with a foreign light. The gears ground louder as it traveled upwards, still making her ears ring, but she ignored it. All that mattered was the wall that still slowly rose, slowly exposing the secrets held behind it.

"G-Got it! Got it!" Ashi recognized the robotic girl's voice, but she did not turn to her. Not yet. "S-Sorry that took so long. I usually am faster, I used to be faster. But… I'm missing parts, and help. Sorry." She would not speak it now, but Ashi was sorry as well. She had falsely accused the girl of something she had not done, her sisters included. But not Ahi, Adi, Aki, or Ami spoke up an apology either. They were all transfixed on the slowly revealed hall.

A hall beyond the darkened door, that opened immediately into a towering room of technology and machines.

**_RRRRRRRRR BANG!_ **

The grinding gears stopped with another impossibly loud bang, nearly making Ashi jump in preparation. But she controlled herself, focusing instead on what was behind the reveal of the door. It was the same as she saw while the door, not wall, was opening. A room of machines that towered over them in ways that she believed only the dark structures of Aku's cities were capable of doing, blinking with colors that told of things she couldn't recognize, and holding screens about them that contained data and information she couldn't follow.

Looking at the room that opened up to them, Ashi could hardly tell how much further in the hidden path went. Not with the machines, computers and devices she hardly recognized, taking up the room she believed was meant for foot traffic. And yet, they were held in the middle of the path like support posts under a rebellions tunnel, yet supporting nothing but digital information.

For her and her sisters, who had walked through the forests of giant redwoods and the

"S-Sorry about taking so long, again." The robot girl spoke, but Ashi still only glanced at her, long enough to see she was still not armed, not surrounded by droids or drones, and only walking into the room that she had exposed to them. "It takes a while to access the codes, find the right spot to stand, transfer information through NFC distance." Ashi didn't know what that meant. Ami might, however.

"Wow…" But from the awe in her voice, something told Ashi that her mind was elsewhere. "This is… I can hardly recognize some of these rigs. The power draw on them though, their number, I-I'm getting a _spike_ wireless information transfer!" It was impossible to tell if the device shaking in her hands was doing so because it was shaking, or she was shaking it. "The wall… of course… a restrictive Faraday Cage, likely combined with some kind of A36 Steel shielding for damage protection. But the power and gear systems necessary to lift something like it…" It must have been impressive for Ami to gawk in awe over it, especially when she had made devices for them that others were willing to pay for.

"Yeah? Right? Exdor was very careful when he built this place, and I helped. Had to help, cause there was no where else to go." Ashi believed it, even if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. They had seen many places of secret and legend before, but always pockets hidden in the world, small things that persisted through their independence of the world around them. This was… something else. Something that was new, but in a place where it should be hunted, yet larger than she believed some buildings of Aku's dark cities could possibly hold.

The temple of the hidden Shaolin Monks was impressive enough, awe inspiring to know that their father had… their father!

"This is very impressive," Ashi finally admitted, speaking to jar herself out of her daze of amazement. "But we cannot stay out here, not with our father in his state." Her words had the desired effect, on everyone.

"O-Oh! Of course!" "Yeah, we gotta hurry!" "Here we go, dad." The robot girl and her siblings' voices rang together as they hustled, Ashi watching carefully as Adi and Aki lifted their father up again. He did not stir nor move as they did so, not even during the grating noise of the gears. It was as if _he was dead to the world_.

Ashi clenched her fists and breathed, stalling herself from hitting the thought away.

She waited for a moment, letting her sisters file in first. It was a dangerous notion, to be sure, letting their father being let it in his state, without being sure the place full of machines was a trap or not, but she didn't have a choice. Not when she had to be sure there was not a long gaze in the tunnel watching them. She couldn't be sure if there was or wasn't yet. Because her feeling of unease had been alleviated, but it had not been settled.

"Exdor will help your dad, I know he will." Ashi heard the robot girl speak, her voice already trailing. With a glance, seeing everyone was beyond the point where the wall stood, Ashi backed in as well, trailing behind her siblings. "He's amazing when it comes to science and stuff. He's been really helpful to a lot people, however he can, whenever he can." Ashi believed a part of that, but only a part.

Because there had to be a reason the robot girl was still in her state of discontent and unkemptness, despite the supposed helpfulness and ability to do so she swore Exdor could give. There had to be a reason, and a lack of supplies was not suitable enough, not for Ashi. There had to be a reason for all of this.

**BANG GRRRRrrrrrrrr**

Ashi looked up as the screeching metal chorused again, in time with the shutter of the black wall closing. She was already safe inside, surrounded by the monoliths of machines and space that was far more than purely desirable for any one space, but that was it. The wall closed slowly, and she would-

**RRRRRR** **_RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR BANGBANG!_ **

Her stream of thought broke fell apart as the wall practically _fell_ downwards.

Ashi was not ashamed to admit that she jumped as the colossal amount of steel, denoted by her sister to be something of significant weight and durability, fell from its hung position like a curtain of cloth. But it was not light nor air-resistance as cloth. Its landing was anything but soft.

If the way her feet left the floor was any indication, the force behind it was massive.

"WHOA! What the hell was _that_ for?!" Her sister's yelling was a close second. "NO! Freaking _seriously_! The hell was _that?!_ "

"Th-the door closing?" Though the robot girl was correct, and looking far more at home surrounded by machines that operated instead of ruined metal and steel, Ashi couldn't help but mourn her lack of tact. Her sister was right to ask the question, and the robot was wrong to expressive such an answer.

"Closing when we're _this_ close!? With our _dad?!_ " Ashi made sure to keep an eye on their father, even through Aki's protests. He still had not stirred. The fluid of Ami's device moved far more than he had in the past week, as he had done little more than sip water put to his mouth and rest. _Like a dying man on his final bed_ … Ashi's breathing intensified again.

"It was a suspicious timing," Adi spoke up with her sister. Her protectiveness was obvious, as was all of theirs. Especially with their father in such as state, _especially for her sisters who carried him_. "Was it intentional? Meaning to separate us?" Ashi found _that_ notion confusing. The timing was too awful to be even considered such.

"I-I know that wasn't the intention." The robot girl's mangled arms waved as she spoke. If she were human, such an action would have been likely impossible. The pain _far_ too intense. "Exdor was probably-"

"So Exdor was the one who did it?" Aki asked again. "Ya mean this mega-super scientist who's supposed to help our dad _slammed_ the door behind us?" A valid question, but one without purpose. "Cause if that's the case, that tells me he's _watching us!_ " But that was a valid comment. One Ashi was ashamed to have not thought of.

Shame could come later. Answers were for now.

"Yes, yeah, he is." The robot girl quickly spoke up, perhaps to avoid the terror that she and her sisters gave her before outside the door. She could already see Ami working on something on her device, typing commands she couldn't follow, now, before, and likely ever. "This is where he lives, always, so he's got eyes everywhere. He can hear us too, definitely." The unease in Ashi's gut was bubbling again. This time, she knew why.

"We are being watched." Ami's confirmation was the same as Ashi's unspoken one. "Not surprising, not really, given the protective state of the bunker like command center, and the amount of tech here. Power supply alone, the draw being constant, would be worth any kind of raiding party's voucher. Constant observation is a necessary and understandable product of that." She was… far more compliant than Ashi expected.

"Wait, hold on, you're _defending this guy?_ " Aki's voice, however, held onto her usual bite. Ashi had to watch her hands, making sure she didn't drop their father in the midst of her rage. If that was the case… there would be _two_ in their family who would need assistance. "The creep's probably been watching us since we got here and you're thinking it's _okay?!_ "

"Well… Ami's right that it makes sense." Ahi agreed with Ami, and Ashi did as well. With a sense of unease that put her on edge and prepared to act, unlike Ami, but agreement nonetheless. He was watching them in his home, just as they had done for their father in their camps. "But… I do want to see him soon, especially if he's _still_ watching us." Her hands were tight against the case she carried, and Ashi was grateful for it, finding it impossible herself to ignore what was in it.

Just as she found it difficult to ignore her sister's words.

"I would also like to hope Exdor would come out soon," Adi spoke up. "I'll forgive the studying of us, cause it's _gotta_ be that, if he comes out and promises to help our dad. As in, _soon_."

And once more, Ashi found it impossible to disagree with her sibling.

"He'll be here soon, I promise, like before." The robot girl spoke again, arms still raised as if to defend herself. She only needed to fear if shew as planning on something dastardly. She wouldn't survive for long if she did. "He's just… waiting for something again. Probably something silly." Silly? The very word was _not_ what Ashi wanted to hear.

"I pray you can tell me just what this… _silly_ thing is," she started carefully, legs still bent in preparation. "Because, and I apologize if I have not made this absolutely clear, but we are on a short timetable to help our father. If Exdor _can_ help, I hope he is not too late to do so because of some poor requirement that is, what was it again? Silly?"

Her steps slowly approached the robot girl as she spoke. The girl, in kind stepped away as well.

"Because, and I'll state this once more as well, we are all on the very edge of our patience with our current predicament, having to find a way to save our father _and_ his arm before any permanent damage is done, if not done already." She ignored the hiss from behind her, doubtlessly Ahi or Adi careful of her words. "Exdor was said by our father to be a brilliant scientist, and one who can help our father, I believe. It is why I was willing to risk coming here with you." Following the vetting from Ami.

"A-And he can! He will he… he just-" Still too slow.

"He just what?" Ashi asked again, standing before the robot girl with her arms crossed behind her. The girl, her steel limbs mangled and rest of her body falling into a state of dilapidation, knowingly stood little chance against her, so instead offered to cower under her sharp gaze. "Is just waiting for something _silly_?"

She kept her gaze sharp on the robot girl, ignoring the slight cheer she heard from Aki. Her sibling's fiery temper may have been rubbing off on her, but Ashi knew how to use it to heat the coals under the robot's feet, metaphorically. Enough to get Exdor out, to end this pitiful charade he was playing.

"I am already impressed by his home, impressed by his guard, and Ami is _more_ than impressed by what is here." Her arms unclasped enough to whip out and indicate her sister, who shamelessly nodded, eyes still darting around the room as she lectured the robot girl. "But if Exdor does not show himself, and our father suffers further for it, then I will have something impressive to show _you_ instead." The threat hung between beeping machines and whirling gears within them. All the while, the mute robot moved her mouth without a voice.

"Ashi, that's a bit… tough, isn't it?" Ahi's question was one she expected from Avi, where she still with them. She wasn't incorrect, but neither was she right.

"I'm as tough as I need to be, Ahi," Ashi spoke back, only glancing over her shoulder at her sibling. "Because tough will save our father, will keep us safe, will get Exdor to finally show himself for his-"

" **DRAMATIC ENTRANCE!** " Ashi jumped back with her arms raised.

The voice bellowed above them, echoing through the already impossible large structure and past all the machines that worked around them. Her eyes flew between them, looking for the giant who had to possess the voice that boomed around them. She saw nothing though, saw nothing even if she could still _feel_ the power of the voice. Ami, working beside her, was doubtlessly doing the same.

"Too loud to be from a non-synthetic voice," Ami quickly spoke next to her. "Digitized, fixed frequency, has to be robotic. Coming from a speaker system with high decibel range." Ashi looked at her, then her sisters behind her. Everyone was okay, but there was still no sign of the voice's owner.

" **Gahahah! Sorry sorry, got carried away there!** " The voice spoke again… far more cheerily than Ashi liked. Her eyes kept darting about the room, looking for the _speakers_ now that the voice had to be coming from. " **Here we gooooo** done!" And just like that, the tremor of the voice fell, all in the same conglomerated word.

The unease didn't leave Ashi though, her body still bent and looking around her, still finding nothing but her worried siblings and a robot girl who was looking up with a rather pleased expression. She'd be the first to die if this was a trap. Guaranteed.

"What?" Aki asked aloud. Ashi looked at her, only to see that she was looking up as well, holding on her father's stretched with pale white hands. "What the heck, hell, _and damn_?" That was… confusing as well.

"Oh… my… goodness…" Ami's trailing voice was followed soon after, another glance towards her seeing her eyes away from her screen, looking up at the ceiling, the same as the robot girl, and Aki, and… the rest of her siblings now, though they were all far more silent. All with jaws gawked and gripping their father's belongings tightly.

It didn't take her long to realize something was above her. So, carefully, prepared for whatever trap may be waiting for the whites of her eyes, Ashi carefully craned her neck and looked up.

Looking up into a massive screen. A screen that towered over the entire ceiling, entire room, and doubtlessly focused on all of them at once. A screen that glowed white like lights, faking the illumination of actual lights, taking the place of bulbs instead for screens. A screen that glowed without a hum, and stared back down at them.

With a face across it that Ashi didn't recognize.

"Ghaha, sorry about that. Poor attempt to shatter the otherwise recrystallized Hydrogen Dioxide in the room." The face on the monitor spoke, his voice, for it was a he, far higher in pitch than before, and speaking of something Ashi didn't understand. Something about water, maybe. "Sorry, sorry again, had to be extreme in some way. An unfortunate recursive element in my uploaded database that is too variably dependent upon other block processes to be removed."

Ashi just blinked. His words, its words… the words were something else. But in the end, they were just words that were implying fault, asking forgiveness, and coming from a face that looked to be far more that of a man who buried himself in books and knowledge than deceit or disagreement. From the many novels and texts that Adi had found of scientists and knowledge seekers in the past, the face on the screen looked the part. And it made the conclusion of who it was all the more obvious.

"The name is Exdor, uploaded Artificial Intelligence to the previous hosting bipedal system of Exdor the scientist. Now I'm hoping I can off you all assistance promptly and expediently?"

Ashi was sure he would, on both.


	10. Hiatus Notice

**Attention Attention**

**Notes for the immediate future forth coming**

* * *

This is just a small notice that this story is going on hiatus for the foreseeable future. Not forever, as any story I write sticks in my head until its gone, but I need to focus on other things in my life, including other stories and personal health, before I come back to this. Again, not gone, but needing a break. I'd say there's probably another 7-8 chapters left of the full story, at the rate that I'm going, depending on how long the last chapter takes to write (may be multi-chapter).

Sorry again to those eager to read more, but this is where it is at. If you have any questions about the story, I'm more than happy to answer with a DM or private message. _Just remember I can't answer anonymous postings_.

Thanks again to everyone, and I promise that when the story comes back, this chapter will go down. Cheers again mates!

**Author's Note:**

> If you are enjoying this story, and I want to see where it goes or ask me questions, try and jump on my Discord to talk with everyone else. You won't be alone, I promise.
> 
> discord.gg/fgeV4ra
> 
> If you're really into my stories, and I can't thank you enough for it, try and check out my Patreon to see if there are any rewards you'd like to participate in. Be one of the first and be one of my heroes!
> 
> https://www.patreon.com/WizardofWords


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